Hi all! A SC4 question

[Dazontheweb 5]

Hi all,

I'm a new member to the forums here and would like to start by saying hello!

I also have a question in relation to SimCity 4. I've been playing the game today and noticed the 'My Sims' option from within the game and then remembered how this feature would let players import their created Sims from the first 'The Sims' PC game into SC4. My question is this! Does this feature still function if both SimCity 4 and The Sims are installed? I noticed the icon to import any Sims wasn't clickable for me? Then again I don't have The Sims installed.

I was just wondering if this feature still function these days.

Thank you

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

It did the last time I used it. I think it only works with the earlier The Sims. Unless you really want to go through all that work, the built-in My Sims will do the trick. It isn't as if you could play them, you know.

What version of the game do you have?

[Dazontheweb 5]

Hi,

I purchased SC4 from Steam last year so am I correct in thinking its the latest version of the game? Like I said, I don't have the very first The Sims installed and was just wondering if the feature still worked. I also have more then one SSD so would The SIms have to be installed on the same SSD as SimCity 4 so that the game could locate any created/saved Sim characters.

[Cyclone Boom 16,917]

Welcome to Simtropolis

Yes, it only allows you to import Sims from the original game. I have no personal experience of how this works, but I suspect you will require The Sims to be installed.

It probably isn't working because the game is unable to locate the following directory, which is The Sims default installation path:

C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\

But as A Nonny Moose rightly said, there is no real benefit of doing this, as there would be a loss of functionality. Only basic information about the custom Sim would be imported into SC4 (e.g. Name, gender). I'm sure this information could easily be replicated with the limited tools available in 'My Sim Mode'.

[Dazontheweb 5]

Many thanks

[Cyclone Boom 16,917]

Here are some specific instructions from the SimCity 4 Deluxe manual:

Importing Sims from The Sims

You must have The Sims 1.x installed on the same machine as SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition. You can import Sims from their Sim neighbourhood into a new neighbourhood – yours.

Click the Download More Sims button to search your machine for potential Sims to move into your city. Note that your Sims must be placed in a house in a neighbourhood in The Sims to become available for import into SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition.

This is confirmation that The Sims must be installed for this to work. I've done a bit of research, and found it can be quite troublesome to use this feature. The fact (red) that the Sim must be used in a neighbourhood may be the key to this.

If you haven't got The Sims game handy, I was going to suggest you could possibly replicate the installation or saved data directories. Then, place the saved Sims inside the correct folder. This may provide SC4 with the required folder path. For the newer Sims games (2 & 3), they are stored inside:

C:\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\SavedSims\

I'm not sure if The Sims uses a similar folder structure for saved data. But even if it does, I have serious doubts that this would be a potential workaround.

Installing the game is a much wiser option.

[Dazontheweb 5]

Thanks for that,

Is there anywhere that EA/Maxis have made the very first The Sims game available to purchase as a digital download? I can't seem to find much information on this.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

That game is so old that legit copies can probably only be found on CD. You could try eBay.

[Dazontheweb 5]

Yeah that's true.

Thanks

[Cyclone Boom 16,917]

A digital retail version of The Sims does not exist.

As well as eBay, you may also want to take a look at Amazon. If you don't intend on playing the game much, it's probably best purchasing a used / pre-owned copy. Just be aware of any remarks about the disk condition, as well as the additional cost of postage and packaging. Since the game is 10+ years old, new sealed copies are hard to find, and are very expensive as a result (there is currently one at £40 on Amazon ).

Oh, and it's always a good idea to check the seller's reputation. But generally, most of the third-party sellers provide a good, reliable service.

All the best.

[Dazontheweb 5]

Thank you

[Jim14409 448]

I have never installed "The Sims" or anything having sims other than SC4. I have always been able to move a Sim into any city I have in order to get feedback from them as to circumstances where they are located. I think everything you need comes with SC4 and if not it came with Rush Hour. Of course if you want more Sims than are originally offered then you need a different source such as The Sims from which to download them.

I have no knowledge of Steam.

Welcome to Simtropolis.

[Dazontheweb 5]

Hi all,

I thought I'd update this thread a bit. Today I popped into my local computer game shop and by luck noticed a copy of The Sims Complete Collection. So I decided to purchase the pack which contained four CD'S and installed it onto WIndows 7 64 bit. So far I've had zero problems playing it.

Anyway, I installed the game onto Program Files\Maxis\The Sims (not Program Files (x86)) and discovered that SimCity 4 would allow me to import my characters from The Sims into SimCity without any problems!

Thanks again for all the advice and help!