Not a begginer, yet need some tips...

[grstudios 188]

Hi everybody, my name is Guy and I'm starting a new region from scratch.

I have played SC4RH on and off since 2004, yet only in the past year I've been reading posts here, and downloading files from STEX.

(I must point put that I'm not a beginner, since my first region (built March-October 2011) gained 1.2 mil sims...)

As I progressed through building my first region, it occurred to me that I can do better, and started over.

Now I'm planning a basin-type of region, combining agriculture, small villages along slopes and a few cities on the plains.

Long story short, I have a few questions to ask before I start:

1. GRID ALIGNED CITY - What are the advantages/disadvantages of that method, as it regarding Sim City? And how can I build it without looking too boring? (Note that I pumped the plugins folder to 600 MB before starting the new region)

2. ABANDONMENT - I have read a few threads about this yet I feel that I need a professional POV about solving this. I plan to build moderately, by upgrading the density and city services along the demands, is it enough?

3. AVOIDING PROBLEMS AT GAMEPLAY - I know about a few known bugs or programmed limits to the game, such as Loop Commuter, and RCI demand limits. (Which I understand that can spoil a city, am I right?) What are the known common obstacles of the gameplay? How to avoid them?

4. COMMUTE TIME, LOW COUSTOMERS - As for those, I understand that they're quite a pickle. How to improve those?

Hope I didn't overflood this thread. I hope that someone kind would answer me as half as long I wrote...

Thanks anyway if you answer even the slightest thing.

P.s. I'm quite serious to build the region well. I roamed the entire STEX, analyzed american metropolises, took inspiration from the hardcore members at simtropolis. I just want to achieve a tenth of what good CJ posts look like.

[z1 566]

Since you don't consider yourself a beginner anymore, then for someone in your situation I would definitely recommend the NAM. It will go a long way toward solving your problems #2 and #4, and it will give you lots of new networks to play with.

[grstudios 188]

Thanks z1, yet I have already downloaded NAM and got good at it when building my first region...

Anyway I still got some abandonment, and no commercial building has shown to be with more than low costumers.

In order to save your time and whoever wants to assist me, I have downloaded the latest NAM, NWM, RHW, tweeked the traffic simulator to ultra (hope that good to begin with) and downloaded a lot of C,I,R & civic BATs... (Of course downloaded some mods and dependencies that followed the BATs)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Hi, and welcome to the conversation.

Looking at your questions in order:

I don't have very many plugins, something on the order of 300MB on disk. I think this is because I've been playing for a long time and don't plop RCI buildings at all. Grid alignment is kind of necessary because the game doesn't support advanced graphics features that would make diagonal and wandering streets more feasible. However, I tend to make small clusters in big tiles (towns and villages) and these can be joined by any kind of link you want. Diagonals are limited to multiples of pi/4.

I don't get much abandonment because, like you, I build slowly according to demands and the comfort of my Sims. However, I do have an abandonment policy. If a building abandons, I replace it with one of a different zone. Usually buildings that abandon are residential, and these I replace with commercial of the same level of zoning. That is a high-density residential abandonment becomes a high-density commercial lot of the same size.

The eternal commuter loop is avoidable. First it happens over multiple tiles. To avoid it, construct your transit network as a tree and try to avoid loop-backs, especially with fast links like monorails or ferries. Demand caps usually solve themselves as you progress. Parks and plazas are good demand busters. Be a good mayor and give your schools some playing fields which count as parks. I try to always give a high-school a soccer field, and a playground to a large elementary or private school. The other nasty problem you may encounter is the infamous Crash to Desktop (CTD). On modern machines these are more likely than not. Frequent saves is the only remedy. The in-game save is CTRL+s.

Commercial abandonment due to low demand (customers) is usually caused by low traffic. Try to arrange your commuter routes so that they funnel most of the traffic through the commercial zones. The more traffic, the more business.

And there you have it. You must realize that I've only been playing this game since it came out, so I really don't have much to offer by way of experience.

Of late, I've been using the Pegasus CDK sets to work on riparian and shore side towns, and I create rivers (canals) using the terraforming tools. If you use a canned map, nothing says you can't terraform it some more to change those clearly defined arroyos into canals. For leveling the shore line the Mayor mode leveling tool is invaluable. It is quite capable of creating more land as well as taking it away. Here is an image of the modified region I am currently using.

Hope this is helpful.

[grstudios 188]

First I would like to thank you, investing your time to answer me.

- PLOPPING - I do not intend to plop buildings (except the necessary civics), I find it not natural... Thanks anyway.

- GRID - I thought of planning the city first as a few villages. That way I can recreate the natural evolvement of cities (mostly in europe) - Roads between villages become the infrastructure to key traffic corridors, and agriculture that divide those villages become gradually to the grid (fills all the gaps)

- ABANDONMENT - Good Idea. I think I'll try it. Also heard about advice, which the CBD should start as mixture of C&I, than in time become all C, just like real life...

- COMMUTER LOOP - I am trying to solve it by planning as you advised. (if you recall me asking about honeycomb-aligned region last month) At first I planned the suburbs to encircle the CBD city, following the rivers of the basin, which in turn conjoin at the CBD. That brings me to the next topic:

- CUSTOMERS - Should I plan my CBD as the focal point of the region? Hypothetically as the confluence point of all the basin rivers? (I think that's best) That way I can force people from surrounding cities to flow thru it.

I hope it will become a realistic city... What do you think? Is that a good start?

Thanks, Guy.

[z1 566]

You can also reduce abandonment significantly by making heavy use of subways and their stations.

The Ultra version of the traffic simulator isn't really necessary for the region you describe; either Medium or High would be quite sufficient. The capacity of the NAM traffic simulator has essentially no effect on abandonment.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You sound as if you have a good understanding and have your feet squarely on the ground. Natural development is always good as long as you remember that urban renewal operations are always possible. Keep your rezoning tool and bulldozer handy, but with some restraint. Use the Davy Crockett method: Be sure you're right, then go ahead.

[grstudios 188]

Thanks everybody, if you have more to tip me, It will be welcomed.

When I have updates I will open my CJ.

P.s I had one little question unanswered - how to spice up my sprawing suburbs, yet stay in grid. I thought of making my grid to 7x7.

In that way I can clear 2x2 blocks and create a small winding street neighborhood, similar to the ones I see in Toronto. I also would tend to build similar to the sights of every suburb in USA: From one glance at google earth you can understand how does it go...

(Pretty long P.s huh?)

Good night everybody! (At least here)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Thanks everybody, if you have more to tip me, It will be welcomed.

When I have updates I will open my CJ.

P.s I had one little question unanswered - how to spice up my sprawing suburbs, yet stay in grid. I thought of making my grid to 7x7.

In that way I can clear 2x2 blocks and create a small winding street neighborhood, similar to the ones I see in Toronto. I also would tend to build similar to the sights of every suburb in USA: From one glance at google earth you can understand how does it go...

(Pretty long P.s huh?)

Good night everybody! (At least here)

There are some nice extended curves in the NAM you might find extremely useful if you want meandering streets (roads, I'm afraid). There is at least one additional download to fill in the curves with parks.

[Jazzmaster 716]

There are some nice extended curves in the NAM you might find extremely useful if you want meandering streets (roads, I'm afraid). There is at least one additional download to fill in the curves with parks.

Aren't there wide-radius street curves towards the very end of the road wide-radius/FARR tab ring?

  Edited November 23, 2011 by Yoshiisland  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

There are some nice extended curves in the NAM you might find extremely useful if you want meandering streets (roads, I'm afraid). There is at least one additional download to fill in the curves with parks.

Aren't there wide-radius street curves towards the very end of the Rroad wide-radius/FARR tab ring?

Yes. Three of them. I just ran the game to check. That is quite a comprehensive set.