Nice mods for a beginner

[Dazontheweb 5]

Hello,

I've recently started playing SC4 and have been on and off since the game got released but I've never looked into modding. Today I installed the NAM mod. I'm pleased with this!

Would there be any other mods that might be helpful to someone new to modding? Are there any texture mods to improve the way some things look?

Thanks

[Cyclone Boom 16,937]

Welcome back!
 
The NAM is a very good starting point. Hopefully you've got v32 which is the latest version. You'll find it may take time to get familiar with it, especially if using the RHW / RRW components. So I suggest creating a new region to experiment in a sandboxed environment. This has the advantage of being contained, and not affecting any existing cities. Remember you can always re-run the installer (as a custom setup) to add or remove features at a later stage.
 
As I've said before, some good advice is to be fairly selective in what you download. This is all part of the fun, but many of us (myself included) have been guilty of going on "downloading sprees". Then it just becomes clutter everywhere and you may later ask the question, "do I really need this plugin?!".

 

Therefore, it's wise to test items in batches using a sandbox region. Personally, I do this by adding any new plugins to a "TEST" folder. Once I'm satisfied with their functionality, the tested files can be moved into other subfolders, categorised by type or author. This all helps establish a clear system of organisation, which makes it much easier to manage at a later stage. There are lots of ways to go about this, which all depends on personal preference.

 

There are literally thousands of plugins out in all directions. The NAM makes it playable. However, only a small sample is needed to make the game enjoyable.

[GrijzePilion 10]

If you don't like the buildings that grow in your cities, you might want to download some Ploppable ones, and if you'd like your traffic to look better there are tons of Automata out there (I love me some better trains!)

[Magneto 316]

After NAM, maybe consider fixes:

 

 

Not really fixes but very popular:

 

(very helpful for debugging)

(also exists in quadrupler version)

 

In any case read before installing, not everyone want to use those

 

For the sake of looks and realism:

 

A terrain mod. Usually they comes with a water mod, a rock mod and a beach mod. Some very popular ones: Appalachian terrain mod (HD), Sudden Valley (HD), Columbus. Those in HD requires hardware rendering, check it out. Note you can only have one terrain mod in your plugins.

A slope mod. There are a lot of those, I guess Ennedi's is the most popular (3 different flavours) along with Here too you can only have one

for a nice facelift of your industrial areas

 

Also recommended...:

 

The +  (the mod in itself is simple to use but the installation requires great attention)

A tree controller such as or Aerden (lovely seasonal trees to replace outdated maxis flora but the list of dependencies can make your head spin, also requires great attention for proper installation)

[Dazontheweb 5]

Hi again,

 

Thank you for the replies and info. I shall have a look around at the links.  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Just take it easy, and don't overdo it.  A downloading spree can mess you up for weeks.

[Cyclone Boom 16,937]

Some other suggestions:

• Little Big Plugins -- A selection of small but useful mods.
• sc4modds -- More ideas.
• List of Plugin-Lists -- Listed items by set categories. Unfortunately, some links to the STEX are no longer functional. For these, try an identical phrase search in Google.
• List of MMPs -- Popular items that can be plopped from Mayor Mode (great to add detail).
• -- A list of numerous SC4 communities that host custom content.
• CB Catalog -- An A-Z index of custom content items.

[GrijzePilion 10]

@Magneto    Thanks, you listed a few mods I liked as well...City Halls, yummy.