Does anyone ever get around to playing

[waerth 1]

Reinstalled the game a couple of days ago. Started with only NAM played for a day or 2 then started downloading. And it never seems to stop. Every click discovering new things, here on the LEX on the PLEX and even managed to download a Japanese one and found some smaller Exchanges.

Problem is I never get around to actually playing anymore

[Lost Realist 762]

I know that problem very well. I'd tell my girlfriend I'll play some SimCity and then wind up only downloading stuff for two hours until I'm too tired to play anymore.

[Mr. Nestlé 19]

Yes...

 

I've been constantly updating my NAM and have kept an eye on the other news, but the last time I actually played seems to lie about a year in the past...

And then I don't really get to use the wonderful possibilities of the NAM at all. They're just there, waiting to be used some day.

I like SimCity very much. And I like the NAM and all those other mods and such. But I do like other stuff, too. Which means that I usually end up lacking sleep, having done nothing but surfing the internet.

[Terring 6,476]

Same here, more time downloading (and reloting) and less time playing...

[blade2k5 1,523]

I've been playing a lot lately after a two or three year hiatus and I quit making maps for the STEX and LEX.

[Cheddar 119]

I used to do that a lot back then, probably downloaded like 20-30 files in one shot. Eventually this began to take a toll at my game as it started to lag and sometimes freeze on me. Usually downloading a lot of files in one shot can cause issues for your game, as I was told. 

 

Now, whenever I see an interesting file, I write it down on a notepad along with other files that I will download later. Once I feel like I would need those files, I find them and put them into my game. It keeps my menus, especially landmarks, uncluttered. 

[z1 566]

Too busy modding.  Sigh...

 

I figure that if I get all my commitments done, maybe I'll have time to play in a year or so.  Maybe.

[Prophet42 1,503]

It is a dilemma.  One search leads to another.  Before you know it you've spent 2 hours downloading and then you think to yourself "do I go to bed because I'm really tired, or do I now play Simcity".  Decisions, decisions.  Exuse me now while I go play some Simcity.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

it is a matter of self-control.  I watch the STEX, mostly from front-page additions, and choose downloads carefully.  Mostly, I play the game with a small set of plugins, less than 1GB.  I find the game more interesting than downloading a lot of custom art.

 

I don't think I've ever been infected with the "Gee, isn't that nice, grab it" syndrome.  When I really want something for a specific purpose, I can generally find it on the STEX, LEX or PLEX.  I don't go hunting for other exchanges because those named are quite enough.

 

I accept the game for what it is, and not what I wish could have been written.  It helps me use up all the time I have left in my retirement and is especially useful since I don't get around well any more.

[Omehenk 9]

Sounds so familiar, came back in june after simcrap 2013 came and turned out crap, and only gathered mods (and learned a lot, back in the day i played without any mods at all) since then. But it's all good, cause now i can use the 48 states map:)

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

Often real life gets in the way. I work several days a week often at long hours, plus just general catch up with family and friends. Don't stress too much about it, I barely touched the game at all for last week. However your city won't leave you, it's always fun to squeeze an hour in every now and then.

[GeometryMath Algebra 614]

Happens to all of us, we spend more hours downloading plugins that playing the game. There's just too many good stuff out there to download for the game...

[Ro-Bo 183]

My Plugins folder is small, so I don't have that problem. I've been playing on and off between 2007-2012 without mods, so I guess I'm just get use to it. If I find some interesting mods, I'll just bookmark the page if I don't need it in my current region. But I had not been playing since April; the time I started BATing.

[Huston 5,800]

True, RL and downloading mods for the game definitely gets in the way of game play (not that I conventionally play SimCity anymore, it's more of an art form now )

[Nielsen 10]

Since I discovered the possibilities that come with modding I have done nothing but testing how it all works together. Sometimes I'd just like to settle and start building a region but the truth is that Sim City 4 steals time like few games do. As if real life didn't require enough attention, modding only makes it much harder to just play the actual game.

[IljaS 54]

Teehee. This sounds familiar. I have been working with my new CJ for a while. I have been downloading and modding and lotting (...and waiting for others to finish their own projects, so I can wrap my greasy fingers around the spoils of their hard work...), but had very little time for playing.

 

The whole process is slow, to say the least.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Awri' youse guys: Repeat after me -- "I will play SimCity 4 for an hour today".

[AcronShinra 60]

Hoho, case similar to mine. I had situation like that with almost every game I could mod.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Where there's a will there's a play.

[daybreak 312]

Before I discovered the stex, lex and plex back in 2007 I did play game for hours.  I remember those moments of "I gotta get up for work in 3 hours, better turn this game off and go to bed!!" 

 

The balance of all theses wonderful sites and the awesome creations from members has changed this game forever for me.  

 

I probably would have put SC4 away, like many of the toys of yesterday and dusted it off once in a blue moon.  But because of the new mods, lots, posting etc., the game now has endless potential and that joy of finding something new each Christmas morning makes all the downloading and searching worth it. 

 

Yes I do play a lot less then before but when I do, the experience is just like I had when I first purchased the game back in 2005!

[infamousjbe 593]

Feel I'm on a similar path as many others returning from a hiatus and going through the various stages of SC4 enjoyment.

 

First back, played vanilla 100% of the time building a single med city to get reacquainted.

 

Then remembered there where mods available. Play time was cut to about 10% an 90% catching up on info, and starting my downloading binges. 

 

Like most, sure I started playing with the mods without proper testing, so of course I end up having to "fix" things instead of playing 0% of the time. Lesson learned.

 

Then I got struck with the modding bug and cut my play time to about 5% and creating/testing the mod 95% of the time. 

 

Once the mod was complete, finally got the play time back to about 70% and downloading/testing 30%

 

Now that I've started to lose interest in my current region, play time is about 10% and the rest cherry picking content to rebuild a plugins folder in preparation to start a new region. So now 90% of my play time is spent thoroughly collecting, testing, lotting, fixing, each content. That includes game menu management, which for larger content can be a daunting task in an of itself. 

 

Then at some time, I'll eventually probably get inspired to do some kind of CJ, then who knows how much actual play time I'll have.

 

The greatest part about SC4, is no matter what stage your at, it's all extremely enjoyable, whether you're actually playing the game, or learning the mechanics. 

 

EDIT: And that course is just over the last two months.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

One thing I do to keep my interest up is to run multiple regions.  Currently I have four active regions plus my sandbox and timbucktu (this one always shows up).  I choose regions depending on how I am feeling on any given day.  If I am really fed up, I generate a new region.