abandoned towers, etc.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

i'm really confused, i have followed tips and all. friend told me to do 12x12 to get bigger buildings. and leave no zoned part in middle of it...etc . and i did, i did taxes like people told me, i did good transportation, good on demands, yet my buidings are turning dirty,  it says on one tower it was abandoned due to commute, yet i have subways, bus stops on each corner, and all avenues. any tips what i might be doing wrong?

[michaeldcannaday 42]

I have the same issue, I'll have lots of commerical, industry all around and the residents say the commute is too long and go unemployeed...but yet there's lots of transportation such as bus routes, rail & highways... I guess my residents dont like to even drive a single mile when all along in my city, the gas prices at my gas stations never change unlike real life...lazy people is all I can say

[jeremyp1223 8]

Have either of you tried using the nam?

[Turjan 1,048]

It gets easier if you have several cities in the region, although it may complicate things somewhat, if your residents go to work in a neighbor city. I got big abandonment or just downgrading issues in one city when I added residentials to the industrial city with the jobs for the original city. I had to reduce the population of the original city by changing residential zones to commercial, which had the added benefit of creating more jobs.

 

My latest experiment went actually pretty well. I started an agricultural city and then zoned only high density. If you are in a mature region, hardly any ID will grow, so I mixed residential, commercial, and industrial micro-zones freely. The city works reasonably well without any public transport whatsoever.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

i tried NAM but dont work, i click on the road options and it does nothing. i am starting over, and i'm gonna create the cities and roads first, then do checkered style zones. but i dont understand much of it. they want industry but then complain about polution, so makes me want to do industry in another city... on this one i been doing, i got mostly high tech industry so didn't do much pollution yet still didn't work...

[Turjan 1,048]

Let them complain. A bit of abandonment doesn't hurt. Educate your people, and the dirty industry will make place to high tech, cleaner power will become available, pollution will go down, and your wealthier population will be happy again. High wealth people sometimes move away if traffic gets too much. If you don't like the look of the building, just bulldoze it and let something more appropriate (R$$ or R$) grow instead.

 

Also, I didn't want to have the example I used above seen as model to base your city on. It was just an experiment. To be honest, zoning only high density in a 30,000 inhabitant city looks weird. Skyscrapers among pumpkin fields. It's also risky, because it's expensive. It looked better at 150,000 inhabitants, but still...

[atsummerlin53 47]

Well, if you're having issues with pollution complaints, a few air scrubbers can help. Plop them right next to your industrial zones, and they'll create a buffer of less-polluted air in which you can zone commercial, then you zone residential beyond the commercial. Most air scrubbers don't cost too much on a monthly basis, and help keep demand for medium- and high-wealth residents up in your city. 

 

If you're having problems with commute times, and you are using the NAM, I don't really know what to tell you. Your average commute time (if you have all types of zones in the same city) should be less than 5 minutes. I have some commuters who go across a large city entirely composed of farms to get to their jobs, but have an average commute of 1.5 minutes (gotta love that NAM), so I don't have abandonment issues from commute time.

[longtimepcgamer 227]

What wealth level are you typically finding abandoned?  $, $$ or $$$.

 

Kev

[William Gates 84]

There are two common problems most people encounter once their city reaches a respectable population:

 

1.) The residential buildings devolve by one or two wealth levels (e.g. high-wealth buildings become medium-wealth buildings). They turn dirty in the process. This is without any obvious problems (low education, health, too much crime, etc.).

2.) The residential buildings become abandoned due to commute time. They turn black in the process.

To be honest, I don't know if anyone has ever solved these problems outside of drastic mod changes. They are closer to game bugs than solveable game obstacles.

 

You may be able to solve 2.) via some mod which drastically lowers commute times (like the NAM).

 

Solving 1.) seems more difficult. Back in the day when I used to play SC4, I remember one leading hypothesis was that 1.) resulted because the game created high-wealth buildings when there weren't enough high-wealth jobs (and hence high-wealth sims) to support them. And so the buildings would become medium-wealth or low-wealth. The solution was to significantly increase tax rates on high-wealth sims to prevent the game from building too many high-wealth buildings. I don't remember how successful this was.

 

Basically, I wouldn't bother trying to attack it. Get a mod which prevents the run-down graphic effect from appearing (or prevents the running-down from happening altogether), and forget about it.

[Bdub01 201]

Take the lazy approach... If you don't mind mixing R and C when several R buildings have NJZs or are abandoned rezone them to C till the NJZs go away. Sometimes they just move to other R buildings so rezone them till finally you have no more of the nasty NJZs around

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

i tried NAM but dont work, i click on the road options and it does nothing. i am starting over, and i'm gonna create the cities and roads first, then do checkered style zones. but i dont understand much of it. they want industry but then complain about polution, so makes me want to do industry in another city... on this one i been doing, i got mostly high tech industry so didn't do much pollution yet still didn't work...

If it doesn't work there are two possibilities:

1. Your game is not up to version 1,1,638,1  (Deluxe/Rush Hour with the EP1 fixes)
2. Improper install.  Assuming you are on Windows, the NAM comes with an installer (*.exe) and you have to run it from outside your Plugins folder.  The exe should not be in the plugins folder.

Thousands of users have a working NAM, so whatever is wrong it is a matter of following the instructions.

 

{perhaps you don't read instructions? You didn't bother with the spell checker on your post??}

[jasminelynn2010 0]

thanks everyone. i'm working on figuring it out. i got NAM to work, i just reinstalled it and it works now. i wish they would fix the glitches! 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

thanks everyone. i'm working on figuring it out. i got NAM to work, i just reinstalled it and it works now. i wish they would fix the glitches! 

What glitches?

 

You do understand that we are not the authors of the main program and that we have agreed to keep our hands off it?

[jasminelynn2010 0]

i meant like the buildings turning weird. sorry

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Now you have me intrigued.  What do you mean by that?  Trouble with textures and things are usually fixable.  Make sure your in-game graphics settings are on high.  If you are getting funny colour patterns on some lots, set your game in hardware rendering mode.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

they turn black. but i think i understand why. some of them say abandoned due to commute, but the thing is i have bus stops, freeways, avenues. but i started over, and my new city seems to be doing better, so I think it's something i'm doing wrong. i used NAM in my new city and it has helped some. thanks for the help all. here is picture of what i got done so far, no black buildings on this part.

 

 

 

and one with a weird looking building, i clicked info on it, didn't say anything, but said custumers low, is that why it's grayish/black?

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Buildings dilapidate if they are being downgraded, and eventually turn black when they are abandoned.  Commute time is the usual default excuse, but the reason for this may be that the Sims couldn't find the "right" job close enough to home.  If no match is found for all the Sims in the building, it is abandoned.

 

You need an abandonment policy.  When it happens and I notice it, I usually change the class of the building.  R$$$ -> R$$ etc.  You do this by changing the zoning, and usually demolishing the building.  If an R$ building abandons I change the zone to CS$.  This can be upgraded later as needed.  There is nothing wrong with having a mixed CI pod.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

Thanks. i usually do all $$$ etc. it seems to work mostly, and i raise taxes high on dirty industry so i dont get as much pollution, takes a lot of trees but been working but i have to start all over NAM screwed the game up bad , roads flashing and all was in slow motion. and freezing up. and had to uninstall it and it ruined the city. thanks for the help tho, 

[Turjan 1,048]

Thanks. i usually do all $$$ etc. it seems to work mostly, and i raise taxes high on dirty industry so i dont get as much pollution, takes a lot of trees but been working but i have to start all over NAM screwed the game up bad , roads flashing and all was in slow motion. and freezing up. and had to uninstall it and it ruined the city. thanks for the help tho, 

 

A few comments:

 

1. You have to let the NAM run at least half a year to sort itself out if you introduce it in a mature city. The traffic patterns have to be rearranged.

2. Ignore all messages from your advisors regarding traffic at intersections. NAM slows that traffic down on purpose to give a more realistic automata pattern.

3. Ignore what you see automata do.

4. In the traffic view, switch to the "volume" tab to see real data. Those are the ones that are of interest, and make your adjustments from what you find there.

5. Choose your traffic simulator level depending on your needs (medium will do for most cities, otherwise take something higher).

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I'd really suggest you avoid casting aspersions on the NAM.  Funny that most people have no problems with it.  Take it out of cheetah, play on hard with Turtle and start a new city.

[Lukav Minaev 2]

  yes, building skycrapper and then abandoned is part of the "game". Means, if sims tend to show up that they grow up, mayor will follow with better city services, Mainly transportation system. Its like race with sims growth, and thus if you planed the zoning beforehand it'll got easier, you only need to place the transport system right way later.
i think you you must start to take underground train system (if the budget enough), it can easily put accross from abandoned & undesirable resident area to desirable industry and/or commercial area.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

i'm not doing asperations on anything, i was just confused and wanted to k no. sorry for asking everyone and i won;t come back since this post seems to be asperating. whatever that even means. and for the people who where helpful thanks. i have figured the game out and am NOT asperating at it, i'm blossoming new cities. not sure what is wrong with wondering if something is normal for the game or i'm doing something wrong. anyways, i'm gonna look for a way to delete this dumb thread...

[rkade79 12]

You need to use the latest "NAM ,it fixes issues with comuting and anything "road related .Im not an "expert ,but i think this could help .

You need to use the latest "NAM ,it fixes issues with comuting and anything "road related .Im not an "expert ,but i think this could help .

Btw i play on "Turtle because i spend a long tim on small patches making them look "nice ,that time i spend which can be upto 30 mins on a single 30 tiles "gives my zones time to develop. I think it's a better way to play on turtle "My opinion of course.I never go faster than "Turtle speed 'Lol 

 

Oh yeah and "dont close your thread .I think it's a good thread .And you need help

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

There are no dumb threads except those that don't find a voice.  Ask away.

 

I do suggest, however, that you avoid taking swipes at things unless you have a documented case.  If you don't understand something ask for help.

[jasminelynn2010 0]

that's what i did, asked for help...anyways, sorry to offend, i didn't mean to, i was just confused. i'm using NAM a little, i like the roundabout. but not gonna ask for help again, maybe i went to wrong place or something. enjoy the game everyone. i'm getting the new one that's coming out, or is out, soon. 

[jasminelynn2010 0]

my new city has 335,000 in it and not full yet. no dark buildings so you guys did help me, i forgot to mention that, thanks. i tend to build the roads and transportation stuff, police, etc, parks, before i zone, then i put it on cheetah but i will try the turtle way.

[Bdub01 201]

my new city has 335,000 in it and not full yet. no dark buildings so you guys did help me, i forgot to mention that, thanks. i tend to build the roads and transportation stuff, police, etc, parks, before i zone, then i put it on cheetah but i will try the turtle way.

Turtle is our friend . I tend to use cheetah for short bursts or if I needs simoleans. However Mr. Moose is correct one can appreciate the game more so in turtle. Also I prezone the small tiles with roads police etc but larger squares I like to grow slowly much like a real city. Exceptions are my industrial cities. I do preplan them!