Is there anyone who DOESN'T use mods? :p

[steelersfan95 6]

Thanks, Mr. Mrbisonm and Mr. Nielsen ...

This is my poor joke about only R$ and Dirty Ind ...

I want play my SC4 game from ZERO on my tremendous SANTANA Island ... I like work with rural buildings, roads and STR ... I can do everything with Ilive Reader and SC4 Tool in my Region everytime ... You know - I can create all objects without any water and power - we can do it with super SC4 tools ...

Yes?

Excuse me my poor joke and ...

Thank's NEXIS and Nielsen once more ...

hey i would like to see a real in-game image of your santana island, i dont care if there is no buildings or anything

[ErwinNegentigNo2 1]

I'm awe-inspired by the beauty I see in the community's city journals.

Personally, I do not use mods - firstly because I am still new to the game and I'm getting the swing of things, and secondly because I'm really hesitant to sacrifice game speed and computer space on my laptop (I'm a video editor & college student -I have a lot of stuff on my laptop )

I was wondering..

1. Is there anyone here who doesn't use mods, or uses very few?

2. Are there any inspiring mod-free city journal recommendations?

3. Would everyone be bored if I made a mod-free city journal?

Keep up and amazingness, SimTropolis!

I have two computers that run's SimCity 4 Deluxe. One with mods and one without them. I love playing both ways. Just spend more time playing the game without mods until you have knowledge of the game. Then start stocking up on them. I have about 5GB of them. Using mods may slow down the process of the game. That's why I use my gaming rig for my modded one. I am really good at playing without mods and I personally think it's fun playing that way. Mods are basically a step up to playing SimCity 4. For example, NAM (Network Addon Mod) is a mod that allows the users to have a more realistic traffic system instead of the default Maxis traffic. Or you could also look into downloading some buildings. There are ton's out there that really add more character to your city like adding a McDonalds or a Walmart. They make my suburbs look more realistic. There are also a ton of other skyscrapers and buildings that you can get. You can also get mods that increases your demand and give you unlimited money. It's cooler with mods. I think you will really enjoy it. If you need any help, my email is jagex3222(at)yahoo(dot)com. Find me on YouTube.

Happy city building!

[mrbisonm 1,622]

For those with a lot of custom content / mods - how does this affect your loading times?

Now, there's the hook. If you're quite demanding with mods (I wonder if there are any out there that I don't have????), the loading time can become.....well........slow to very slow.

Of course, I am one of these that have an "extreme" Plugins folder (7.4Gb's, when I play a countrystyle with small villages and towns, and 12.6 Gb's when I play the Citycenter.) Of course again, I have the computer that handles it, (more or less), but still, loading time of a large citytile filled with simmlish wonders and buildings can take up to a good 5+ minute loading time.

Psssssst.....but Hey,......it is worth it, once you see what you can do with it!

Btw, have fun....with whatever you have/or not in your Plugins

mrb

  Edited June 29, 2012 by mrbisonm  

[madhatter106 3,931]

I couldn't fathom running pure vanilla SC4/Rush Hour.

Particularly if you don't have even a smidgeon of custom content BATs from out there in the STEX.

If I see two or three of Maxis' awful Depiesse's Diner lined up in a row, I want to bulldoze the entire region...!

[SimCoug 5,976]

If I see two or three of Maxis' awful Depiesse's Diner lined up in a row, I want to bulldoze the entire region...!

Best laugh I've had all day...

[AprilDawn 2]

I don't think I could live without the NAM... Without it I run into traffic problems very quickly.

[ubik10 0]

Hi, ive been playing all the sim cities for a looong time, sim city 4 since it came out. Im pretty good player i think, have no trouble getting million plus cities. Only veryrecently got into the whole mod batting thing n i got to say its revived my interest a 100%, in my very humble n inexperienced opinion NAM is a must, an SPAM a must, opens up whole new levels of playing. As for the bats i love browsing thru, n adding them if i like the look, bit of a pain making sure u got all the dependencies, but well worth the trouble.

[BlackVenomSC 0]

Vanilla isn't boring! It keeps you busy trying to fix traffic problems AND WHY ARE THESE SEMIS ONLY USING STREETS WHEN THE AVENUE IS CLEAR!?!?!?! After installing NAM I find the game much easier... almost too easy. I am very much enjoying these interchanges & I have yet to make use of all the traffic things. Vanilla was predictable in it's unpredictability; with mods it's just logical... and it scares me.

[AllenY 0]

I still don't use any mods, I've downloaded quite a lot of BATs but still no mods. I've always been slightly apprehensive that they will somehow unbalance the game or make it easier. I may get the NAM though, maybe a bit OT but could someone please fill me in on how the basic transit changes/fixes effect gameplay? I've read about it elsewhere but I've never seen this specified much.

Same for me. I'm comparably new to SImcity 4 so I want to get to grips with a bit more advanced stuff (e.g. pollution) before I start messing aroumd. I have made a couple of buildings hgouh.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Provided you are patched up to level 1,1,638 (bug fixes) you should be fine in vanilla. The update to 1,1,640 supports some BAT features (night lights). One assumes by vanilla you mean SimCity 4 Deluxe (or Rush Hour). The original game was not really ready for people.

Of course, if you have the digital download (1,1,641) you are ready for anything.

[Jazzmaster 716]

Quite an interesting discussion going on here!

Well, I can't imagine this game would still have such a firm group of players after 9 1/2 years if there were little/no mods. The game is hardly complete without the mods in some cases (NAM, but that's not the only one). The default terrain is ugly (really ugly), I don't think the buildings are terrible but it's always great to have more and higher quality ones.

Also, what exactly do you mean by 'mods'? It almost sounds like you feel that folks who play the game heavily modded are 'cheating' but it's possible to play the game still without breaking the 'rules'.

Then again, in such a sandbox game it's pretty much made to be modded, no?

[Terring 6,476]

I still believe that's still possible to build a cool city without any mod. It's very difficult and the result will be not be as you really want it, but it's still possible. And there are some city journals in vanilla game which are very interesting. But I don't hate mods, because they are the reason of playing Simcity 4, almost 10 years later.

When I said my opinion about the vanilla playing style some months ago in some folks (mostly outside of Simtropolis), most of them attacked me and blame me as "declaring war to the modding community". Yes, I hate mods. I have more than 3 Gigabytes of them, the biggest collection of futuristic creations and perhaps the most modded city journal ever made.

And yes, I hate mods. Modders go home! :P

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I think there is a dichotomy in custom content between custom lots (including BATs) and modifications (mods). But they are all plugins. All things considered, any custom content of any kind could be considered to be a mod, because it affects the operation of the game, even if it is only the lot selector.

Personally, I consider a mod to be something that changes the operation of the game as a whole. The NAM is a good example. Also some custom lots such as the PEG CDK3 Port System because it essentially removes the Maxis Seaport from the game. The dividing line is often gray, but such is life.

[z1 566]

I agree with you on the distinction. So what would you call RTMT?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Hybrid.

[colco2121 55]

Mod= something that changes the properties of the game (e.g., a money tree)

Custom lot= A new building/lot that retains properties similar or the same as Maxis intended.

Plugin= Both of the above.

So which are you referring to. ^question mark not working at time of post^.

[Mithrik 562]

I used to have an aversion for mods, until recently, when I started to plan on making a better-looking city, with a more realistic landscape, and so I have gone from only the NAM and game fixes to having a separate folder with over 40 different mods, so I can always have what I am looking for.

I really find the game rather bland without plugins, a few weeks ago, I played a city without any custom content, and I rapidly went frustated at the 22000 inhabitants, as the commute system was so bad, that my city started to get job zots, even though the city was isolated and only had road connection for the industrial freight. I had to quit and start again with the NAM, even though that city was made for the fun of it.

Plus, even though I already have some experience making Maxis lots look decent, after a full year playing vanilla, I just don't like how most of the lots are, they look unrealistic and the work of a pretty bad city planner, they don't always fit in with the theme I am looking for, so I have scrap them and take custom content.

True, you will have fun with vanilla, but even the conformist player will sooner than later find out that in this game, it doesn't hurt to download some of the mods this game has out there.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

One of the best features of this game is its almost total open-endedness. Within the prescribed limit of not monkeying with the .exe, a lot can be done.

I await the release of the new game to see if it can handle the stuff that goes with Rush Hour.

[Evillions 552]

While I try to keep my cities Maxis-free as possible, I play vanilla occasionally so that I can face in-game problems.

[elavery 1,013]

How can anyone play without plugins? I don't know how anyone can use any Maxis content whatsoever - it all looks so terrible

[Evillions 552]

How can anyone play without plugins? I don't know how anyone can use any Maxis content whatsoever - it all looks so terrible

You're right, it does look terrible. However, newcomers play without plugins so they can master the basics before moving onto more realistic or expansive ventures. Veterans would play vanilla to relive the old days or whatever the reason it may be.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Only people who are concerned with reality of the graphics avoid the maxis buildings. I don't, but then I also have a lot of growable plugins. I am more concerned with the simulation and the way the program behaves than any aesthetic. I guess that's the geek in me talking. I enjoy watching programs in action.