The "SimCity 4 Buddy" project - Version 1.1.0.19 BETA released to the STEX

[Asser 78]

Only one minor issue I ran into: I have my game installed on another drive and when selecting the destination folder of the game in settings I can't select the root folder via browse.

However I can select the App subfolder and then edit the destination folder line by deleting \App so it points to the root again. (also tested with subfolder App left in and gives error as intended)

That is strange. Does it return an error or what happens when you click OK in the dialog?

 

My game is installed on another drive as well and I can select it alright :S

But I'll build in some controlls to detect if you are in the App subfolder, that should do the trick.

[CocoJones 7]

When I click on browse and go to the root folder, I can click on ok. It jumps back to the settings screen but leaves the field blank. Clicking ok at that point gives an error that the destination folder is invalid (because there is none).

What I have to do is choose a subfolder (any subfolder really, App is just the top one so a logical choice) and click ok it fills in the field. Again clicking on ok at this point to accept the folder gives an invalid folder error.

 

Once the subfolder is removed in the destination folder field it accepts it and it all works.

 

Hope this all makes sense to you. If not let me know and I'll post some screen shots to illustrate.

 

p.s.: my game is installed in folder D:\Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe so nothing too exotic.

[Asser 78]

Ah, I see what you mean. Upcomming fix in 0.0.0.10.

 

Damn, all these bugs. I have not had much time to work on the features for 0.0.1.0 (beta) yet.

Well, better thing that we find them now in stead of when we reach version 1.0.0.0 (release)

[Asser 78]

Version 0.0.0.10 (ALPHA) released.

 

Changelog

• Fixed a bug that would prevent users from selecting the game folder if they used the manual browse option.

[CocoJones 7]

I can confirm folder selection works for me now 

 

Meanwhile I've found something else when trying to install plugins (both in game folder and a custom folder):

I've tried installing multiple plugins, one at a time or several at once and keep getting the same error.

For example:

Installing plugin DK_35_BoACenterLA ( Darknite ).zip

Files extracted to temporary folder.

Files moved to plugin folder.

Unexpected exception during plugin install: [ArgumentException] Plugin must have an id

Parameter name: plugin

Plugin install failed.

 

Installation completed.

0 plugins installed successfully.

1 plugins failed installation. Please review these manually as some files may not have been removed correctly during recovery.

Failed plugins:

DK_35_BoACenterLA ( Darknite ).zip

 

Log file states similar:

2013-07-30 00:03:53,678 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting

2013-07-30 00:04:08,276 [4] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread Installing plugin DK_35_BoACenterLA ( Darknite ).zip

2013-07-30 00:04:28,027 [4] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread Installation failed

System.ArgumentException: Plugin must have an id

Parameter name: plugin

   at NIHEI.SC4Buddy.DataAccess.Plugins.PluginRegistry.Update(Plugin plugin)

   at NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.Plugins.PluginController.Update(Plugin plugin)

   at NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread.SavePluginInformation(Plugin plugin, IEnumerable`1 installedFiles)

   at NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread.Install()

 

I get this error with every plugin I've tried so far. If I try to install another plugin afterwards the program crashes.

As stated in the text above the files are extracted and moved to the plugin folder and then not removed during recovery, so technically the plugin is "installed" (and no files are missing so working)...

 

Another thing I found is if a zip file contains an executable (most have names beginning with install to make it obvious but not all) and you try to install it, the program also crashes.

 

I'm sorry to keep throwing them at you with all the hard work you're putting in this, but that's an alpha for you

[Asser 78]

I think I found the error (i should really expand my test suite setup). One of the fixes in version 0.0.0.9 apparently conflicted with the installation (thank you for version control)

 

Version 0.0.0.11 released

 

Changelog

• Fixed an error that would cause an ArgumentException during plugin installation.

[Nique 291]

Uhm, where is this application installed? I cant find the location because the shortcuts are .app pointers, not normal shortcuts. Why i want to know this? Well i want to run it as Administrator.

[Asser 78]

[...] where is this application installed? [...] i want to run it as Administrator.

The application is installed in "C:\users\%username%\AppData\Local\App\2.0\xxx" where xxx is a random folder name.

 

The main reason to why it is being installed here is that it does not require admin rights to install or run. Another reason is that it makes it easier for me to publish updates to the application because of the tool I use to do so. The auto-update functionality is built into that tool.

 

Why do you want to run it as an administrator? It does not require the elevated permissions for anything.

[Asser 78]

Version 0.0.0.13 ALPHA released

Included a lot of bug-fixes and a new feature:

Can now install multipart rar plugins (plugins split up into xxx.part1.rar, xxx.part2.rar etc.)

[Nique 291]

 

[...] where is this application installed? [...] i want to run it as Administrator.

The application is installed in "C:\users\%username%\AppData\Local\App\2.0\xxx" where xxx is a random folder name.

 

The main reason to why it is being installed here is that it does not require admin rights to install or run. Another reason is that it makes it easier for me to publish updates to the application because of the tool I use to do so. The auto-update functionality is built into that tool.

 

Why do you want to run it as an administrator? It does not require the elevated permissions for anything.

 

 

I want to run it as administrator because when i install a second plugin after the first one, the app crashes. Now i have to restart the program everytime i install 1 plugin. I wanted to check if that also happens when i run the app as Administrator.

[Asser 78]

 

I want to run it as administrator because when i install a second plugin after the first one, the app crashes. Now i have to restart the program everytime i install 1 plugin. I wanted to check if that also happens when i run the app as Administrator.

 

That sounds strange. Are you running the latest version (0.0.0.14)? Could you try and paste the latest log (in c:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI Systems) the error should be logged in there. Then I can try and fix the issue. Admin permissions probably does nothing as I think it is a coding issue.

Anyways the exe file is in c:\users\%username%\AppData\Apps\2.0\xxxxx.xxx\sc4b...exe.xxx\ but when I try to run it directly it seems to have issues connecting to the local database (even though it is in the same folder for some reason). I'll try and find another installer so I have more control of the file structure then I'll also be able to better debug the application... hopefully.

[Nique 291]

 

 

I want to run it as administrator because when i install a second plugin after the first one, the app crashes. Now i have to restart the program everytime i install 1 plugin. I wanted to check if that also happens when i run the app as Administrator.

 

That sounds strange. Are you running the latest version (0.0.0.14)? Could you try and paste the latest log (in c:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI Systems) the error should be logged in there. Then I can try and fix the issue. Admin permissions probably does nothing as I think it is a coding issue.

Anyways the exe file is in c:\users\%username%\AppData\Apps\2.0\xxxxx.xxx\sc4b...exe.xxx\ but when I try to run it directly it seems to have issues connecting to the local database (even though it is in the same folder for some reason). I'll try and find another installer so I have more control of the file structure then I'll also be able to better debug the application... hopefully.

 

2013-08-02 22:31:47,514 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting
2013-08-02 22:35:32,746 [4] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread Installing plugin BNL Essentials V1.0.zip
2013-08-02 22:35:36,595 [4] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Installer.PluginInstallerThread Installation successfull.

First, i installed BNL Essentials V1.0

Then i tried to install BNL Essentials V1.1 .. and the app stopped responding and crashed. No log of that as you can see

 

I add video in a moment. Then you can see what happens. Maybe you can trace down the problem better. Of course, i can't debug.

There seems to be a problem with the software signatures. (handtekening = signature).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zmPLqRj1Dk

  Edited August 2, 2013 by Nique  

[Asser 78]

I will investigate this further. I have just tried to install 20 plugins at once and all installed successfully which seems strange that you get the error then.

 

In the meantime I would like to announce version 0.0.0.15 has been released

 

Bugs

• Fixed several bugs in the settings panel
• Fixed an issue with the "remove non plugin files" tool as it would remove all non .dat, .sc4lot, .sc4desc and .sc4model files from the entire USER FOLDER (so regions etc.)
• Fixed a ui glitch that would occur when installing a multipart plugin. The glitch could make the user think that the plugins were not successfully installed.
• Fixed some bugs in the add and update plugin information in the central database

Features

• Oh yeah, added a small feature called DEPENDENCY CHECKING!!!
  • After each install you get prompted if you want to check for missing dependencies
  • You can also query this on demand from the tools menu in the user folder window
  • The tool will look for all plugins in said folder that are known to the central database and check their dependencies. If a dependency is not installed in either the user folder or the main plugin folder (in the game directory) the user is presented with a list of the missing dependencies and a link to the download location

Note that the database still is not populated with entries and that the database is reset on each release.

[Nique 291]

Maybe this helps investigating the problem:

 

I've installed my Windows (64bit) system in a different way than most people do. 

All my userdata is on a secondary hdd.

 

C:\ = System

D:\ = Data

 

So, your program is installed in:

D:\Users\<username>\Appdata\Local\...

 

I did this by creating a XML unattend file in Audit mode for setting these folder flags before i created any user after the installation (done by hitting CTRL+SHIFT+F3 at the create user screen after installation). This makes my SSD live longer (the temp folders are also in your appdata folder. Programs write many many files in the temp folder and writing a lot of files on a SSD is bad for performance in the long run and will shorten the lifespan of it.).

 

To get rid of potential conflicts there is a junction folder on the C drive which make every program think there's still a Users folder on the C drive. 

Because it is a junction, C:\Users will act like C:\Users but the files are in fact on D:\Users. The same is done with the ProgramData folder.

 

The Program Folder's are just fine, they sit on C and D. Programs like photoshop take long time to load from a classic HDD so this is installed on C. But Chrome and other normal programs are written to the D:\Program Files folder.

 

I have no issues with other programs. 

[Asser 78]

Version 0.0.0.16 released

• Fixed a bug that would result in an error on launch after a clean install
• Added an error message if a readme file could not be opened.
• Changed wording on the "deteect and remove non plugin files" so it indicates that removed files and folders are moved to the recycle bin
• In the "Select installed plugins" window in the "Add plugins to the remote database" window, the list of user folders now only shows folders that contain installed plugins
• The list in the "Missing dependencies" window now only displays plugins once even though they are required by multiple installed plugins
• You no longer get an error when updating a plugin with a link to simtropolis
• Added functionality to catch and log most errors the program generates

 

I've installed my Windows (64bit) system in a different way than most people do. 

All my userdata is on a secondary hdd.

 

C:\ = System

D:\ = Data

 

So, your program is installed in:

D:\Users\<username>\Appdata\Local\...

I have a similar setup since I also have a ssd drive for my OS and programs and then a regular for general storage so I find this error strange. The program is not hardcoded to any drives. It uses the OS' built in environmental variables and the registry database to locate folders and programs so you could have any setup and the program should, in theory and on paper, not care.

 

I tried to install the BNL essentials just like in your video and I don't get any errors.

I can see that the generated error in your video should be one I would be able to catch and examine so I have added a functionality to catch as many errors as possible (I thought I already had that implemented but apparently not)

 

Update to version 0.0.0.16 and see if you get the same error or if it works now Hopefully I should get the error in the log now.

 

Btw. I'm off for a 3 week vacation tomorrow so I will not be that much online over the next few weeks. I will not be answering bug reports, support requesrs or be releasing new versions in that time period.

 

The program now contains almost all the features originally intended so I will move the program out of alpha and into beta once I get back from vacation. So there is something to look forward to! No more database resets!!! The program is almost becomming usefull!

[Nique 291]

I see the INFO notices but no error is created. 

[aj3262 5]

I really like the idea, but I've noticed three problems so far.

 

1- When a loading a zip file plug-in with two versions (such as a high capacity/regular capacity or a maxis/dark night versions) it installs them both without giving an easy way to find the duplicates. There are many things where having both versions makes the game unstable. Maybe create a prompt when it's loading more than one folder per zip file?

 

2- My cursor is stuck on what I'm assuming is black and white. Every options in "settings" leaves me with the same black and white icons, except "disable" which has the default windows cursor at all times.

 

3- When I tried uninstalling the program (to get rid of the cursor problem) the program was removed but the settings remained. This was true even when I deleted and re-installed Sim City entirely, twice. I don't know what registry change it makes but I can't find a way to undo it. This is a big problem in my book! there should always be a way to remove anything I put on my computer.

[CocoJones 7]

I really like the idea, but I've noticed three problems so far.

 

1- When a loading a zip file plug-in with two versions (such as a high capacity/regular capacity or a maxis/dark night versions) it installs them both without giving an easy way to find the duplicates. There are many things where having both versions makes the game unstable. Maybe create a prompt when it's loading more than one folder per zip file?

 

2- My cursor is stuck on what I'm assuming is black and white. Every options in "settings" leaves me with the same black and white icons, except "disable" which has the default windows cursor at all times.

 

3- When I tried uninstalling the program (to get rid of the cursor problem) the program was removed but the settings remained. This was true even when I deleted and re-installed Sim City entirely, twice. I don't know what registry change it makes but I can't find a way to undo it. This is a big problem in my book! there should always be a way to remove anything I put on my computer.

1. You get the same issue when unzipping the file manually in your plugin folder. That is why you should always read the included readme in the zip file (you should get a pop-up for it) to check for install instructions. If there are specific instructions, minimise the readme, continue installing the zip file and when it's finished follow the instructions.

 

2 & 3. This sounds more like a windows theme issue, probably changed to a high contrast theme. In vista/win7 right click on your desktop and select personalize. There you can change the theme settings and also have an option in the left bar to change cursor settings if changing theme doesn't change the cursor too.

[CocoJones 7]

I see the INFO notices but no error is created. 

 

Added an issue to Github. This is not an issue of your setup or BNL essentials, but seems to be a general bug. I get the same error when I install 1 plugin and when finished try to install another.

We'll have to wait for Kaalakiota to come back from holiday for a deeper analysis. 

[aj3262 5]

 

1. You get the same issue when unzipping the file manually in your plugin folder. That is why you should always read the included readme in the zip file (you should get a pop-up for it) to check for install instructions. If there are specific instructions, minimise the readme, continue installing the zip file and when it's finished follow the instructions.

 

2 & 3. This sounds more like a windows theme issue, probably changed to a high contrast theme. In vista/win7 right click on your desktop and select personalize. There you can change the theme settings and also have an option in the left bar to change cursor settings if changing theme doesn't change the cursor too.

 

 

1- I understand you have the same problem manually, that was my point. If this doesn't make things any easier than manual then it's not much good. The guy said report problems and I see this as a problem.

 

2- This is not a windows theme issue. The coursor worked before I installed SimCity 4 Buddy and has not worked since. I have not changed anything about windows, and prior to SimCity 4 Buddy the cursor worked fine.

 

3- This *really* doesn't have anything to do with windows. I want to remove SimCity 4 Buddy and it has embedded itself somewhere on my system that it will not remove itself from. That is a huge no-no and I want to know what the creator did to give it that power. It doesn't even really matter *why* I wanted it removed, only that I tried removing it and it refuses to leave. I have uninstalled SimCity Buddy, uninstalled and re-installed SimCity 4 twice, deleted all data of the program and saves/plugins and nothing seems to remove it. I want to know what kind of registry change this did that I can't undo, and I *really* want to make sure that in the future it can be removed when the program is uninstalled. 

[Asser 78]

1st. San Fransisco is awesome! Hope LA and Las Vegas will be equally awesome!

2nd: a rogue WiFi signal appeared so ST time!

 

 

I see the INFO notices but no error is created. 

That is strange. This seems like a catchable error. I must have skipped a thread or something where errors are not logged properly.

May I ask what OS you are running? and any Service Packs. I don't know if that will/can tell me anything but it can't hurt,

 

I really like the idea, but I've noticed three problems so far.

 

1- When a loading a zip file plug-in with two versions (such as a high capacity/regular capacity or a maxis/dark night versions) it installs them both without giving an easy way to find the duplicates. There are many things where having both versions makes the game unstable. Maybe create a prompt when it's loading more than one folder per zip file?

 

2- My cursor is stuck on what I'm assuming is black and white. Every options in "settings" leaves me with the same black and white icons, except "disable" which has the default windows cursor at all times.

 

3- When I tried uninstalling the program (to get rid of the cursor problem) the program was removed but the settings remained. This was true even when I deleted and re-installed Sim City entirely, twice. I don't know what registry change it makes but I can't find a way to undo it. This is a big problem in my book! there should always be a way to remove anything I put on my computer.

1) This was not a part of my original idea for this program. The primary purpose for this was dealing with dependencies. However I thought about adding this as a feature where you as an author could mark files in your plugin as "optional" or group them into an "or" group meaning that you can select only one of these files. I just spend a few hours on the plane installing all my plugins with the program at once (which showed me a lot of bugs still have to be sorted out - and of course I skipped all the readme files). When I launched the game it crashed, after I fixed that I got weird prop behaviour everywhere (i.e. buildings as trees) so I have a lot of conflicts to fix. So this is feature is going on the to-do list asap!

 

2) That sounds strange. Could you please post the launcher settings you have in the video group? I got the colour cursor with:

• Enabled custom resolution
• Window mode
• DirectX rendering
• 1680x1050 resolution
• 32 bit colour depth
• Full colours cursor

3) I noticed this as well. It is an issue with the installer program (I know! It is crap! I'm trying to find another that has that sort of auto-update functionality any suggestions are welcome:) ). The uninstaller does not remove the settings file or the log files. These are located in the C:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI Systems and C:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI_Systems folders. You can just remove these files manually as a temporary workaround.

 

[...] I want to remove SimCity 4 Buddy and it has embedded itself somewhere on my system that it will not remove itself from. That is a huge no-no and I want to know what the creator did to give it that power. [...] I want to know what kind of registry change this did that I can't undo, and I *really* want to make sure that in the future it can be removed when the program is uninstalled. 

Just to make it clear, this program does not change anything in the windows registry (except for when it is installed so you can uninstall it again) or in the SimCity game itself.

It only reads from the windows registry in order to auto-detect the game. (specifically it reads from the keys HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\).

The way it boots up the game is just like when you create or edit your own shortcut to the game with command line switches (like -intro:off)

[aj3262 5]

3) I noticed this as well. It is an issue with the installer program (I know! It is crap! I'm trying to find another that has that sort of auto-update functionality any suggestions are welcome:) ). The uninstaller does not remove the settings file or the log files. These are located in the C:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI Systems and C:\users\%username%\AppData\NIHEI_Systems folders. You can just remove these files manually as a temporary workaround.

 

 

 

 

That's very good to hear it's just a faulty uninstaller. Maybe add this information to the description/readme as a stopgap so people don't have this problem and you don't need to prioritize the uninstaller as much as other fixes.

 

Also, I found it under C:\users\%username\appdata\local\ NIHEI Systems, maybe that's the uninstaller's problem? Though it could also vary from system to system. I'm on Windows 7 and nothing is ever directly installed in the appdata folder, it is either in a subfolder "local" "locallow" or "roaming."

 

As for my graphics settings, I didn't try windowed mode nor custom resolution. I tried all the different combinations of graphics rendering, color depth, and cursor. It was always either black and white or the standard system cursor. Sorry I can't be more technical than that, but if you have a more specific idea I can look into it. All I know is that I've played the game for years and I've only had this problem after trying ModBuddy. Even now after removing the files you said the problem continues. 

[Asser 78]

That's very good to hear it's just a faulty uninstaller. Maybe add this information to the description/readme as a stopgap so people don't have this problem and you don't need to prioritize the uninstaller as much as other fixes.

Will do

 

 

Also, I found it under C:\users\%username\appdata\local\ NIHEI Systems, maybe that's the uninstaller's problem? Though it could also vary from system to system. I'm on Windows 7 and nothing is ever directly installed in the appdata folder, it is either in a subfolder "local" "locallow" or "roaming."

I forgot the "local" in the paths in my previous post

 

As for my graphics settings, I didn't try windowed mode nor custom resolution. I tried all the different combinations of graphics rendering, color depth, and cursor. It was always either black and white or the standard system cursor. [...] Even now after removing the files you said the problem continues. 

I think the error is in how I determine what command line parameters should be used depending on the users settings.

Some of these parameters act like switches. I.e. if you add -w to the shortcut to start the game in windowed mode and then remove that parameter, the game continues to launch in window mode until you add the -f

 

When you uninstall SC4 it does not remove the SimCity 4 folder in your documents folder (iirc) and that is where some of the configurations are stored and most likely where these kind of settings are stored.

You can try either of these two things:

1. Create a shortcut for SimCity 4 and add this to the end of the "Target" path in the "Shortcut" tab: -CustomCursors:enabled -Cursors:fullcolor (Place this after the " and add a space between the " and the first -.)
2. Delete the file "SimCity 4.cfg" from your SimCity 4 documents folder. It will remove most of your game settings but that should do the trick and bring the full coloured cursors back.

[Nique 291]

That is strange. This seems like a catchable error. I must have skipped a thread or something where errors are not logged properly.

I see the INFO notices but no error is created. 

 

May I ask what OS you are running? and any Service Packs. I don't know if that will/can tell me anything but it can't hurt,

 

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K  @ 4x 3.80Ghz

Memory: 16 GB

OS: Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) @ Service Pack 1 (updated fully to the latest updates)

Hope it helps!

Also, do you have a server where all the information is stored?

Maybe it is time for the SC4 community to make some standards.

I'm not playing the game anymore because i have to download so many dependencies that i get sick of it (2 hours of downloading nested dependency sets).

Introducing a package manager that handles dependencies for Simcity 4 would be great.

Teams could sign up to the server and get special permission to register zzz plugins (those who are last loaded).

The MSYS installer is a nice example of how dependency package manager should work.

[Asser 78]

Also, do you have a server where all the information is stored?

Maybe it is time for the SC4 community to make some standards.

I'm not playing the game anymore because i have to download so many dependencies that i get sick of it (2 hours of downloading nested dependency sets).

Introducing a package manager that handles dependencies for Simcity 4 would be great.

Teams could sign up to the server and get special permission to register zzz plugins (those who are last loaded).

The MSYS installer is a nice example of how dependency package manager should work.

 

At the moment I have a sql database with Microsoft azure where the plugin info is stored (not that which you enter when installing plugins, but when adding them to the server)

 

I couldn't agree more, we need some sort of standard or package manager for those darn dependencies.

I do have some sort of package manager in mind for the buddy program. (I think I've mentioned this in the very first post) It does not make sense that you as a user has to look for mega packs, textures etc, this should be handled in the background. The user should think "Awesome! I want that *clicks download*" and that should be it.

This would however require that all authors of said plugins and dependencies would upload the information or give me permission to do the upload. Another problem is with the author community. You almost never see dependency-plugins bundeled with plugins and the general thought is "Do not redistribute, link to my page". I get why the authors want this, but it is extremely user-unfriendly.

[Nique 291]

The authors should upload their plugins to some public service like sourceforge, github.. whatever (or Simtropolis if Dirks allows it but it must support versions).
Then, Simtropolis or your own will be the central API library that registers all plugins, versions and their locations (download).

Compressed as a tar.gz with a SC4P extension (so it can be hooked to the Plugin manager) in which there is a Readme.md together with a Images folder (for images), a Manifest.json and a Files folder which contains all the files.
The Manifest.json file is there for installation purposes (installation options, where all files should go (categorized), dependency references).

MyBeautifulHouse.sc4p (just a tar.gz)
/Files/MyBeautifulHouse.dat
/Images/MyBeautifulHouse.jpg
/Manifest.json
/Readme.md

The package manager will handle the plugin's files. 
The package manager will let you read the README.md, it will be the same as on the web.
The package manager takes control over your plugins folder. (no more fooling around!)
It will pack the files together to a couple big fat DAT files so your Simcity game loads 97% quicker.

Example of the new Plugin Folder
Plugins/_Dependencies.dat
Plugins/Cheats.dll (the cheats dll file)
Plugins/Residential.dat
Plugins/Commercial.dat
Plugins/Industrial.dat
Plugins/Utils.dat
Plugins/Landmarks.dat
Plugins/Network.dat
Plugins/Terrain.dat
Plugins/Z.dat (loaded as last, all files in this file have special load orders, needs special care and not to be abused. Maybe only certain developers (like the NAM) can set it. Want to make a different texture pack for the road? fine; contact NAM and let them include your textures as optional in the installer.)

There should be a tool included (as you did with your buddy) to login and create those packages (including dependencies to check on/off based on what they've got installed. Be able of being part of (one or multiple) team(s).
The manager keeps track of where the plugins are installed so the local references can be checked if a plugin is installed or not.
No need for redistribute. Authors should take care of keeping their stuff up for download and register them with the Simcity 4 package manager service. 
 

Never should a user have to drown him/her-self in this deep black plugin folder hole of Simcity 4.

As an addition in later future, the manager could be extended with Region/Map download feature which also depends on packages to be installed. This way, we can even share our cities and regions.

This is just a sketchy setup from my mind

 

 

[.1392 0]

Is there any way to have the program open without reopening the setup.exe file? My shortcut keeps showing an error saying it isn't an executable file.

[Asser 78]

Is there any way to have the program open without reopening the setup.exe file? My shortcut keeps showing an error saying it isn't an executable file.

That sounds strange. Have you tried to uninstall it via "add-remove programs" in the control panel and then reinstall it?

 

Every time the program starts it checks if a newer version is available and then downloads that version. So you will always get the "checking application requirements" dialog when starting the program (unless you are offline). I am however exploring an other option so I can move away from this gosh darn installer which seems to cause all sorts of problems for everyone else but me :/

[Asser 78]

I'm back from the states and managed to do some work as well on my laptop. Mostly bugfixing and cleaning up spaghetti code from the early days of development.

 

Anywho version 0.0.0.17 is out. Check the patch notes in the first post or on the stex download page.

 

I see the INFO notices but no error is created. 

Hi Nique, Could you please try and download version 0.0.0.17 and see if that fixes your problem? I finally found out how to interpret the error messages you kept getting.

 

Please post any error message you get (even if it is identical to previous errors)

[feeroz123 461]

Sorry, but Buddy stops when I run it. Also, it doesn't accept my Game location.

 

2013-08-27 21:10:19,435 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting

2013-08-27 21:10:20,001 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Setting default user folder to C:\Users\Feeroz\Documents\SimCity 4

2013-08-27 21:10:20,170 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Updating main folder

2013-08-27 21:10:24,764 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 21:10:25,107 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm User is not logged in

2013-08-27 21:11:38,196 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 21:11:38,197 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm OK pressed, no valid game folder set.

2013-08-27 21:11:40,328 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Closing settings form

2013-08-27 21:11:40,342 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 21:11:41,392 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Abort form close

2013-08-27 21:11:42,920 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Closing settings form

2013-08-27 21:11:42,936 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 21:11:43,826 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Abort form close

2013-08-27 21:11:44,736 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Closing settings form

2013-08-27 21:11:44,750 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 21:11:55,668 [sC4Buddy AutoSaver] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.GameLauncher Starting game with the following arguments: -audio:on -music:on -sounds:on -customResolution:disabled -intro:off -exceptionHandling:on -backgroundLoader:on -l:English -ignoreMissingModelDataBugs:off -ime:enabled -writeLog:disabled -userDir:"C:\Users\Feeroz\Documents\SimCity 4\"

2013-08-27 23:08:28,412 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting

2013-08-27 23:08:29,092 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Updating main folder

2013-08-27 23:08:32,672 [sC4Buddy AutoSaver] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.GameLauncher Starting game with the following arguments: -audio:on -music:on -sounds:on -customResolution:disabled -intro:off -exceptionHandling:on -backgroundLoader:on -l:English -ignoreMissingModelDataBugs:off -ime:enabled -writeLog:disabled -userDir:"C:\Users\Feeroz\Documents\SimCity 4\"

2013-08-27 23:10:08,593 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting

2013-08-27 23:10:09,113 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Updating main folder

2013-08-27 23:10:25,113 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Program Application starting

2013-08-27 23:10:25,603 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Updating main folder

2013-08-27 23:10:51,943 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:10:52,203 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm User is not logged in

2013-08-27 23:11:14,473 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\Crack

2013-08-27 23:11:14,473 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:11:15,793 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:11:15,793 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm OK pressed, no valid game folder set.

2013-08-27 23:11:30,973 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\Crack

2013-08-27 23:11:30,973 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:11:32,083 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:11:32,083 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm OK pressed, no valid game folder set.

2013-08-27 23:11:34,003 [1] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.View.Application.SettingsForm Closing settings form

2013-08-27 23:11:34,013 [1] ERROR NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.SettingsController Validating game path: D:\SC4 Deluxe\

2013-08-27 23:11:38,233 [sC4Buddy AutoSaver] INFO  NIHEI.SC4Buddy.Control.GameLauncher Starting game with the following arguments: -audio:on -music:on -sounds:on -customResolution:disabled -intro:off -exceptionHandling:on -backgroundLoader:on -l:English -ignoreMissingModelDataBugs:off -ime:enabled -writeLog:disabled

 

Haven't been able to run the Game even once till now !