Inventory of mods, bats lots?

[dominostalk 1]

I sign on here and always see something new I want to add to my arsenal. As it is in most cases it comes with a list of dependencies. For example: Dependencies BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol01 BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol02 BSCBATPropsMattb325_Vol02 BSC TexturePack Cycledogg V 01b BSC_Textures_Vol03 SHK-Parking Pack SF_TreePack2 BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol01 PEG_MTP_SUPER_RESOURCE_PACK. "Hummmm which ones do I already have?"

Has anyone developed a handy system to keep track of their saved dependencies to avoid downloading the files again and again and AGAIN. I find that is becoming a more difficult task as I down load more goodies. Rather than reinventing the wheel I thought I would toss this out and see if any of you super organizers have a system in place. My base plan was just to keep track using a Excel or MS word.

Thanks

John

[Indiana Joe 1,751]

(Psst...you posted in the SimCity 2013 forum...but congrats on your first post anyway...welcome to the community)

 

There is a Plugin Manager program (SC4PIM) that makes it easy to manage plugins.

 

But personally, I just have a "Dependencies" folder in my Plugins, and I just search that (either manually or with the search bar) for dependencies to make sure I don't download duplicates.

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

Welcome!
 
To make things easier, one way would be to create a parallel system of organisation. You could arrange them by dependency type (models, props, textures), the set they belong to, and the author. For example, in a main "Props" category, a subfolder could be made for BSC MEGA Props.
 
Then inside this, the different BSC authors (containing the files):
E.g.

• JES
• CARCH
• COBB
• CP
• Gascooker

Replicating a similar type of structure would greatly help with checking.
As long as it's kept up-to-date, I also like your idea of using Excel to create a personal "dependencies list".

 
-Moved to SC4 - Simtropolis Exchange-

[AcmeSigns 97]

One of the things I really like about sc4devotion is that it not only tells you how many times you've downloaded something but even when the last time was.

Now when I go right-clicking > Open Link In New Tab for all those linked dependencies, the ones that are on SC4D, I immediately know if I have it/them or not.

Too cool.

 

Other than that, it seems that after a while you begin to know which dependencies you already have. At least that's the way my old brain is working. For now at least.

[Turjan 1,048]

I have actually one question. Is it possible to rename the actual dependency file, or do the lots not find their stuff then?

 

I just ask because, sometimes, dependencies have naming inconsistencies. Like for example the fifth out of JES' eight prop packs, which ends up somewhere completely else in the file menu than the seven others. This made me erroneously think I didn't have this dependency a few times.

[MandelSoft 2,774]

For most dependencies, changing names is not a problem. SimCity 4 loads all directories files by alphabetical order and disregards the filenames altogether in the rest of the game. Only if you are dealing with a particular loading order you have to be careful with removing the prefixes in the names...

[mrbisonm 1,622]

Here is what I do, simple and effective.

 

Create a folder in Programfiles/Maxis/Simcity4/Plugins, name it Dependencies. Here they will load faster and first.  Download direcly every dependency directly right into this folder without re-naming them, changing anything nor putting them in different subfolders. Leave them as you downloaded them. (EXE files have to be installed)

When asked  for a dependency while downloading a new lot, then check in this folder first if you already have it, if not, download the new dependency, place it in this Pluginsfolder and if asked, if you want to overide the existing files, then it means you have that dependency already. Just check the size and date of the newer file and decide if or if not you want to overide the existing one....I recommend to overide with newer files, since they have been updated.

 

I do this since 10 years and its fast, troubleless and quite organized.

With time you will build up quite a folder of dependencies, easy to control and read, and never have a double or even triple of the same file.

 

Good luck.

 

mrb

[Ltw 401]

I always download my dependencies in a folder dependencies in my plugin folder, this has subfolders named by the author of the dependency. Whenever I download a file with dependencies I check the dependency-folder to see whether I have that already, at a certain moment you've downloaded/checked enough dependencies to know which ones you have and which ones you don't have. Most files are using the same dependencies, whenever you've got the most common ones you almost never have to download new dependencies.