Jump-start a returning player?

[Homestar Golfer 0]

Hey folks,

 

I've been playing SC4 for a long time, happily downloading all the incredible files and mods you guys churn out. It's seriously amazing.

 

Anyway, I stopped playing a while (and several HD formats) ago. So I've got nothing. I don't really want to go back to square one, building a city from nothing and having no plugins. I'm much more interested in expanding and adjusting an established region, with at least one major metropolitan area — maybe even one with traffic problems that a new mayor would have to fix with transit? — and empty areas to start new developments nearby.

 

You can see how that's a problem.

 

Would it be possible for one of our fine users to zip and upload or email me a region they've already established? Of course, that would mean we'd need to share dependencies and plug-ins for everything to re-create properly on my machine, so those would need to be sent to me as well.

 

Since I own the game and the mods are provided as freeware, I don't think there's anything ethically questionable about that happening. Obviously if somebody's doing a CJ with their region or bought some non-free add-ons (if those even exist) then that would be a no-go. Is that an option? I'd love to have a bustling city ready to play with, and all the NAM tools and some new buildings and transit solutions and sculpting tools ready to go with just one process than have to go thorugh the STEX and re-download every tool and every building I'd need. This would be a cool little jump-start.

 

If somebody's down to help me, shoot me a PM or a reply. I'd be forever in your debt.

 

 

[lhrob 213]

Can't do it.  Here's why:

 

If you share a region, you would also be sharing the custom content that has already been placed within that region.  But when you download custom content...mods, maps, BATS, Lots, props, dependencies, etc....a lot of it comes with the stipulation that you will not redistribute it  without the creator's permission.  I really don't think anyone is going to take the time to contact each content creator to get their permission, and many content creators aren't even around anymore.  So the unfortunate reality is that you're going to have to do what all the rest of us have done...grab a soda, sit in a nice cozy chair, and spend several hours looking for the content you want, then downloading it yourself.

[Cefien 361]

I went to China, i went to Japan, Mexico, Germany, Poland, (if you know what i mean) just to collect my 5Gb custom contents. I've been developing many cities and regions for months now and that was all a struggle. I'm here now telling you that i can't just share it and let you play with those. I mean, you can never find the true meaning of fun and arts of "simulator game" if you just play some other's cities.

Buddy, if you ask me links to any cool custom contents out there then i'll gladly give you the list. But this is just too much.

In a humorous way, "Hold on a minute, i'll send you my plugins and regions folders but wait, i gotta empty them first"

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

What you are asking is against policy and probably illegal.  However, you can most certainly use the STEX, LEX and PLEX to find what you need including region maps.  If you open the STEX you can choose various sorting orders or do a search for what you need.

 

I'd suggest starting with the Network Addon Mod (just released version 31) and spend a few days with it.  If you've never had the NAM before, it is a huge, and I do mean huge, expansion pack and it is free.  Then take a look though the STEX for any lot or mod that has the word 'fix' in its title.  These will cover a myriad of problems with the original game.

 

You will want your game to be at patch level 1,1,640 or 641 to be able make best use of the stuff on the exchanges.

[Cyclone Boom 16,847]

Also, if you want to reduce the amount of downloading, you could always get the STEX collectors CDs. These are provided when, donating to Simtropolis (vist the 'Donate' page).

They have a great selection of content, including high rated BATs, lots, maps, mods and selected dependencies. Of course, anything created after 2011 won't be included. But you could set a custom filter on the STEX to search for newer content.

The authors had to give permission for their files to be distributed on the CDs. As explained above, any distribution of custom content requires prior approval from the creator. When a file is uploaded, the creator gives a licence for the content to be used for personal use. Freely copying or transferring files would break fair use rights.