Sim City 4 British mods?

[WL6 0]

Hi,

 

I'm new here but already looked at but still need some help stifling through everything.

 

Does anyone know of any must-have mods that will make SimCity 4 more 'British'? Are there any UK players who play with a personalized British set that could help?

 

Thanks!

[Fatherted 129]

I use the British Road Sign set, but everything else I just put up with. I can't be bothered to personalise everything.

[GeometryMath Algebra 614]

Hi,

 

I'm new here but already looked at still need some help stifling through everything.

 

Does anyone know of any must-have mods that will make SimCity 4 more 'British'? Are there any UK players who play with a personalized British set that could help?

 

Thanks!

The NAM includes Euro textures. For others, such as buildings, etc., try searching for "UK" or "british" in the STEX.

[Cyclone Boom 17,016]

To make the game more "British", I suggest the This changes various language names, such as:

Highway > Motorway
High school > Secondary school

There's quite a few British items by these authors worth checking out:

ILL Tonkso
frogface
mntoes
gascooker (LEX - select from author)
mattb325 (LEX - select from author)

[WL6 0]

Is there no set British pack that changes all the buildings to a more British flavour?

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

There's at least one installation that made me choose between RH and LH driving (it might have been NAM with its Real Highways).

 

For buildings, you might try limiting the building "styles" to the Euro set. After that, download a bunch of custom content that suits you.

 

Note: Before going on a download binge, you should decide whether "to CAM or not to CAM", selecting "CAM-patible" buildings if you do.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

As for CAM, that is a personal choice.  One wonders, however, if it is needed for a UK scenario.  Not many cities run to very high buildings.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

Is there no set British pack that changes all the buildings to a more British flavour?

 

 

There's no full building 'sets'--that would be way too big of a file.  Most uploads are a single building or a couple of them.  You have some hunting to do.  

[WL6 0]

How would one go about cancelling the other buildings that pop up and having exclusively British buildings appearing?

[Cyclone Boom 17,016]

How would one go about cancelling the other buildings that pop up and having exclusively British buildings appearing?

For this, I suggest using a which can prevent the standard buildings from growing. There are different files for blocking each RCI developer type. Remember that only custom lots will grow, so to keep the game balanced, suitable replacements will need to be found. It might be wise to keep some generic Maxis content (e.g. industrial) to mix in. After all, the factories and warehouses aren't really country specific.

[WL6 0]

Note: Before going on a download binge, you should decide whether "to CAM or not to CAM", selecting "CAM-patible" buildings if you do.

 

What is meant by CAM?

 

What standard mods would people recommend to enhance the vegetation and general look of the game without making too many major alterations?

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

What is meant by CAM?

 

What standard mods would people recommend to enhance the vegetation and general look of the game without making too many major alterations?

CAM (Colossus Addon Mod) is a mod that increases the number of growth stages available in the game from 8 (for Residential and Commercial) to about twice as much, meaning it gives the potential to have larger buildings grow. More information on this is available here: http://simtarkus.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/the-cam-colossus-addon-mod-separating-fact-from-fiction/

Both it and SPAM (SimPeg Agricultural Mod) modify those so-called growth stages, but one modifies all growth stages and the other only works on just farms, and they're so different, I wouldn't recommend using both at once (in fact, neither are co-compatible), or using either unless you absolutely know which one to go for sure. (I'm more of a CAM person.)

Those are just mods that affect the city growth mechanics. For mods that affect the appearance of the terrain and plants, there are plenty more options. For me, I go for the Columbus Terrain Mod and a tree controller whose name I forgot (its associated acronym is CPT). I don't have the links to either one at the moment.

The zeroth step you need to perform, however, is downloading the NAM itself, because it has the necessary traffic fixes (and fixed stations) needed to sustain any city of any size. The bare minimum that's needed are the Traffic Simulator and the stations, but it also contain Euro Textures.

[WL6 0]

Thank you all for your seasoned advice!

 

I found the following link this morning:

 

https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=6234.0

 

Can anyone tell me from a glance if it would be possible to install ALL that was on that list, or would I get the 'brown box' thing I keep reading about?

[Samerton 833]

Can anyone tell me from a glance if it would be possible to install ALL that was on that list, or would I get the 'brown box' thing I keep reading about?

You would be able to install everything on the list, however to avoid brown boxes you must download the dependencies for the files which require them. They will be listed in each file's description.

[WL6 0]

Will these dependencies conflict with one another?

 

That is my only fear.

[Cyclone Boom 17,016]

Will these dependencies conflict with one another?

That is my only fear.

If they're different files, there will be no conflicts. The majority of props and textures have now been merged into MEGA packs -- such as the BSC ones. Inside most dependencies there's a small .txt file, listing any obsolete files needing to be removed. Running the Cleanitol will transfer anything unneeded from your plugins folder.

Talking of conflicts, if you decide to use the CAM, and wish to block Maxis content, please see this mod instead.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The whole business is experiential and empiric.  Testing is obligatory to avoid fatal conflicts.

[WL6 0]

Ok regarding these mega-packs (so I don't do a ton of unnecessary downloading)

 

I am asked for just one building to get the following Dependencies:

BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01
CSX MEGA Props Vol06
PEG-MTP_RESOURCE-vol1
PEG_MTP_RESOURCE_vol2
PorkieProps_Vol1
BSC Textures Vol01
BSC Textures Vol02

 

I presume I have to search and download each of these individually?

 

Does anyone have a recommended root structure that they employ when installing buildings/dependencies? Or do you just go with the standard install?

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

Yes, install all.

I recommend you sort your folder so that you have an a_Dependencies folder, this is where you can place all those prop packs and whatnot.

[zahrul3 472]

What BAT is that? If you stick with a BATs from selected authors you'll find that the prop and texture pack he uses is consistent throughout. Ill Tonkso doesn't use much dependencies, although a lot of his office buildings need to be run through SC4 PIM-X as they have far too many jobs comparatively for their size. Mntoes is also another who doesn't use much dependencies. When downloading, take into account what are you going for so you can get nice buildings without wasting space for unnecessary dependencies. Prop packs for example, are often optional(unless the building itself is contained in the 'prop' pack). In my Indonesian style, whenever I download a building with CP Props as a dependency I simply ignore it, as it mainly concerns seasonal tree props that I don't need. It goes for the BATs I make, I try to only use SG vol 1 and BSC Textures.

[WL6 0]

Ok I think I'm getting the hang of this, a lot of trial and error it seems.

 

Any terrain/foliage mods anyone could recommend that give a good european/british flavour?

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

I reckon you might be able to check out Gobias's terrain mods on the LEX. Either that or the meadowshire terrain mod would work nicely.

[WL6 0]

Problem.

 

Added the block Maxis content mod, but allowed Industry (pretty much the same worldwide).

 

Added https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=350 (all terraced housing sets)

 

But they don't seem to be appearing in game???

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

Make sure you have the right conditions for them to grow. Medium density and up need water.

EDIT: Whoops, they are low density. Just give it time really.

[WL6 0]

Make sure you have the right conditions for them to grow. Medium density and up need water.

EDIT: Whoops, they are low density. Just give it time really.

 

5 years and STILL nothing :-/

[WL6 0]

This Maxis Block mod just seems to stop zones from developing full stop, as I removed it for R$ and it started filling up.

 

Is there someway I can have the British terraces as my standard R$ set override the Maxis ones and become my default?

[Cyclone Boom 17,016]

As I mentioned, when using the Maxis blocker, you'll need to find suitable replacements. If these can't be found, it's not very useful. You'll probably need to add more than one set of buildings for this to work, since only buildings that meet the demand and conditions will develop. Using a large pack of houses will help, such as SimCoug's lots (yes, not overly British, but have great variety).
 
Also note that some buildings are from specific tilesets. There are four groups of buildings in SC4 Deluxe, which appear in the Building Style Control.
 
For example, if the terraces belong to the Euro tileset, the Euro-Contemporary box will need to be checked, or they won't show up:
 

[WL6 0]

Ah, so you think I need to install some more buildings for it to take effect?

I love the look of the meadowshire textures!

 

What tree pack would people recommend to accompany them?

[Fatherted 129]

I really wouldn't worry about getting it all Britished up as you will need approx. the following:

100-300 ¥Residential

50-150 ¥¥Residential

20-80 ¥¥¥Residential

100-200 ¥Commercial

100-200 ¥¥Commercial

100-200 ¥Office

200-300 ¥¥Office

60-100 ¥¥¥Office

And a bunch of industry.

¥ means size, as small (¥) medium or large.

Remember to get about 50% $, 30% $$ and 20%$$$ buildings for residential, and mostly $$ for commerce.

It's going to be a long haul. I don't mind randomly distributed styles, it makes my cities feel more dynamic.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

When you  download a building pack, you need to know which of the four styles it is designated for.  I generally run all styles at once as I have a rather eclectic taste.