Newbie Help With Files

[kdfisher 0]

Greetings and thanks for this wonderful massive place. I doubt I'll ever see everything!

Quite frustrated. I see all these great add ons and cannot open a .dat file. Brand spanking new PC or a Sony Vaio with all the bells and whistles.

Apologies if this is right in front of me but it's been a frustrating two hours trying to find out how to open. One lousy web site answers it by saying "I don't know"

Real useful there fella.

I'd rather get the info from you folks rather than infect my PC with all sorts or worthless programs on the web that says this is the fix

Thanks In Advance

[SimCoug 5,976]

The simple answer is you dont need to open the .dat file of all you want is to use them in the game. Just put the unzipped files in your plugins folder. Start the game and you are all set. That being said, make sure you read the readme file for everything you download - it will save you many a headache later.

[2farnorth 26]

Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but if you mean to use .dat file in the game, you should just place the files in your plugins folder (mine's located in C/user/documents/Simcity4/plugins in case you don't know where it is). If you want to open and edit them, there are various tools available from the the fan community, but these are advanced programs, which I am not very experienced with these. Besides, you don't have to open them for everyday play.

[kdfisher 0]

Thanks!

Actually I had to take the individual dat file out of the zipped folder for it to work. By just throwing the zipped into the plugins it did not work. Lot's to learn!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Thanks!

Actually I had to take the individual dat file out of the zipped folder for it to work. By just throwing the zipped into the plugins it did not work. Lot's to learn!

Welcome aboard.

A few things to know about plugins and the archives that contain them.

All sites use an archive format (.zip) to place plugins on the servers for space saving reasons. It also makes downloads faster.

When you get one of these, you need to unpack it, which can be done on Windows 7's windows explorer by right clicking and choosing the decompress or expand option.

You should keep your downloads and the decompressed original files in a separate folder from the game because not everything in a .zip is actually a plugin, normally. This folder, buy the way, should be kept by some means of category sub-folders that suits you for ease of maintenance. Plugins are subject to update, so you need to be able to get at them easily.

Your <you>\Documents\SimCity 4 ...\Plugins folder should be divided up into sub-folders to reflect the structure of your downloads folder.

There are only a few file extensions that apply to plugins. The rest are documentation which should stay in the downloads folder for reference.

.SC4LOT

.SC4DESC

.SC4MODEL

.DAT

.DLL

Are the only ones you should put in your plugins. .DLL files (dynamic link libraries) must not be in a sub-folder but directly within the Plugins folder. You may find some instructions that require you to create some subfolders with names beginning with Z or z in order to force the loading order. Pay attention to these.

When you get a plugin unpacked, put all of the above types into your plugins unless the instructions are contrary.

One other thing: Instead of a set of plugin files you may find a .EXE file. If you do, it is an installer, and just double click it to get an automatic install of the mod. When running one of these, pay close attention to the instructions. If you get your hands crossed, you might up-whack your game. Installers are created to help you avoid installation mistakes and pitfalls. They can usually be re-run if something goes awry.

[kdfisher 0]

Thanks Moose!

I've never been good at organizing files, but with this new laptop I need to this time. Call it a New Years resolution