Underwater Tunnels

[kristoferpetit 3]

Hi,

Can someone give me a quick quide to building a underwater tunnel

[CapTon 592]

I do not believe this is possible, but I may be wrong I do not know too much about SC4, although I've been playing it for a couple years; but I have never been able to develop an under-water tunnel.

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

As far as I know it's just possible to do subway tunnels underwater, and is simply drag it from one side to the other as you normally do.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

Any kind of tunnel can go across water.  Just dig a small dip in the terrain on either side of the river, deep enough to force a tunnel, and it should drag right through.

 

In fact if you Google it there's even some video tutorials.

[infamousjbe 592]

I've come across this one a few times watching SC4 Youtube vids...

 

 

FYI: Turn the volume down before playing. The vid music is a bit loud on max volume.

[kristoferpetit 3]

Thanks infasmousjbe, was just watching that video myself, will give it a go.

[cogeo 960]

Thanks for the link anyway infamousjbe but I didn't really like it. Too much terraforming and demolishing, then levelling etc etc, not only this costs a lot of money (which you should be concerned of, if you are playing the economic aspect of the game as well - which in turn means no cheats and no unlimited cash), it is also impossible to restore the terrain and particularly the seabed to its original situation. And last but not least, the tunnel entrance (and therefore the entire tunnel) can easily be demolished, intentionally or accidentally. There is a less troublesome way (at least to me) if you can put in some little modding:

- The first thing you will need is a Slope Mod. With the default game settings it is almost impossible to even start a tunnel. There are many uploaded on the STEX (BRF, Bones1 etc) but It's rather unlikely that you can find one that fits all situations, so it would be best to learn to mod it yourself. I downloaded two of them, and made a whole bunch of such mods, eg one allowing only very gentle slopes, another one with steeper ones etc, as well as many "special use" ones, eg with various rail line slopes or special requirements to build tunnels. I don't just have one installed, but instead install and uninstall them all the time, depending on the part of the networks I'm working on. There are some few parameters that control slopes and tunnels, eg Max Slope along Network, having names that really explain for themselves.

- Another useful toolset is the Hole Digging Lots. You can "dig" into the ground by plopping and dragging a network through them. Pick the one that best matches your network type. Only make sure that you won't get below water level (using the Extra Cheats DLL and the Terrain Query tool tells you the elevation). If you are getting below water level you can instead try lowering the ground less, and play with the tunnel parameters to allow the tunnel entrance formation, or as a last resort, raise a little the tile just next to the entrance, using the precision terraforming tools. Of course a road or avenue diving into the ground looks more realistic than having the entrance at the foot of a "hill" a few meters high, but if you are very close to the water level this might be the only solution. In most cases I was able to build such tunnels even at very low elevations, featuring a very realistic look (being non-disruptive at all), and even zone on the tiles around it.

- What you need next? Do the same at the other side of the tunnel (again, the Extra Cheats DLL can tell you the X and Y - ummm Z - coordinates of the tile, so you can easily align them). And then just set the Max Slope parameter so that you don't emerge to ground level before you get under the water - at either side - (this will probably require a special Slope Mod), and finally drag the network to make the tunnel. Don't save the city if you are not satisfied with the result.

- There are cases where this won't work though, so there is another, more drastic measure. Locate the Terrain Properties exemplar. It's usually in your Terrain Mod. If you don't have one installed, find it in Simcity_1.dat, copy-and-paste it into a new plugin (a "mod"). Set the Sea Level parameter from 250 (the default) to 0 (or any other number that suits you most). Open your city, and you will see the water disappeared! Don't worry, this is temporary. Now make your tunnel the usual way (ehmmm, you may still need to play with the slope and tunnel parameters a little), save, exit, set sea level back to 250 (or remove the mod) and open your city again.

- YOU ARE DONE!

 

Sorry for not providing links and not showing any pics, but I currently don't have SC4 (let alone tools) installed because I just upgraded to Win8.1. Kept my files (plugins, mods, regions etc) but it's not installed yet.

 

Hope this helps

[Ro-Bo 183]

Using Flexible Underpasses (included in NAM) is another way to do it.

 

_{I meant to post pictures but the internet connection is very problematic today. Maybe later.}

Edit: I leave this for now.

 

 

Just a simple road underpass tunnel using 'road underpass ramps' and 'underground route under transparent texture'.

[JP Schriefer 5,590]

So is there a way? Amazing, I never knew, good that you helped me too, these tunnels will be very useful.

[jmsepe 2,039]

Haha. Nice I might need this soon. I never knew underwater tunnels could exist in SimCity 4. 

[infamousjbe 592]

Using Flexible Underpasses (included in NAM) is another way to do it.

 

Interesting. Never thought of using the FLUPS like that. Did you still have to lower the water level to achieve this, or do the FLUPS puzzle pieces just plop right through the water? 

[Ro-Bo 183]

No terraforming is needed.

 

How to Build Underwater Tunnel Using Flexible Underpasses (FLUPs).

 

1. Here we have a bridge that just about to reach 100% capacity. Underwater tunnel will be constructed to provide alternative route. The yellow lines indicate the location of said tunnel.

 

2. Select FLUPs. I'm using 'ramp for underground road' (FLUPs's 1st item) since I'm making a road tunnel.

 

3. Press Home/End key until you get the right orientation/underpass type.

 

4. Plop ramp at both ends to create tunnel entrances.

 

5. Now press Shift+Tab to cycle to the last FLUPs item; 'underground route under transparent/green surface'. Press Home key until you get the 'straight underground route under transparent surface' and make sure it is in the right orientation.

 

6. Plop the underground route pieces in a straight line from one entrance to another. And switch to 'Water Pollution' view. Easier to do this when ocean floor is visible. As you plop the piece, a small marking (in circles) appeared. Use it as a guide.

 

Finished product >>

 

Diagonal? No problem.

[kristoferpetit 3]

Thank you so much guys!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Now that is quite a neat discovery.  This kind of thing is the reason for crowd enhancement of this game.  I've been at my wit's end to fix up an overloaded bridge in a spot that won't stand another bridge, but this is a perfectly viable solution.  Congratulations!

 

The only place in RL that I am aware of that works is the Windsor/Detroit crossing where we have the Ambassador bridge and a corresponding tunnel.  Interesting because it is an international border.

[cromabianca 158]

Wow! The flups idea is just brilliant!! Never thought of that! Thanks

[APSMS 1,892]

I believe the documentation states that this functionality was designed specifically, and isn't accidental. I won't claim any sort of credit; I always wondered what the point of being able to plop FLUPs, TuLEPs, and other puzzle pieces underwater was (yes, I did, in fact, read all the documentation for the NAM a while back), but now it's clear. Thanks for the tutorial; really thorough and informative. Maybe submit it to the Omnibus?

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

Now that is quite a neat discovery.  This kind of thing is the reason for crowd enhancement of this game.  I've been at my wit's end to fix up an overloaded bridge in a spot that won't stand another bridge, but this is a perfectly viable solution.  Congratulations!

I wouldn't get too excited; the ability to place puzzle pieces in water has been a trick that's already been known for years (and even I have explored the same exact methods; I even did so I did one better by draining all of the water first). It's not really a new discovery if it's already been discussed by someone else.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

 

Now that is quite a neat discovery.  This kind of thing is the reason for crowd enhancement of this game.  I've been at my wit's end to fix up an overloaded bridge in a spot that won't stand another bridge, but this is a perfectly viable solution.  Congratulations!

I wouldn't get too excited; the ability to place puzzle pieces in water has been a trick that's already been known for years (and even I have explored the same exact methods; I even did so I did one better by draining all of the water first). It's not really a new discovery if it's already been discussed by someone else.

 

It is a very wide field of knowledge.  One doesn't always find immediate use for something, and storing all this could easily lead to brain overflow.  I am not surprised others have found this, but I was either unaware of it or ignored it until this time.

 

The number of multiple agendas in the NAM is truly staggering, and if a need does not arise ...

[Turjan 1,048]

It's not really a new discovery if it's already been discussed by someone else.

 

True. But some things are worth being rediscovered after their memory slipped into oblivion.

[Fatherted 129]

Another Real Life example is the Dartford Crossing. Two Tunnels going one way, and one four-lane bridge going the other.

[JessiLaurn 184]

Tiny bit of thread-necromancy here, because... well, this has proved unexpectedly handy for island cities.

 

I've found a kludge that allows the effect of an underwater road or avenue tunnel between cities.  Yes, you read that right.  It's a bit of a cheat, but it does the job.

 

1.  Use your preferred means of draining the water (I like to slap the NAM Diagonal Bridges folder into the Plugins, because it's handy).  Fire up SC4.

 

2.  On what used to be the sea bed, draw a short connection to the neighboring city (road or avenue). 

 

3.  Using FLUPs per the description above (thank you, Ro-Bo and Ganaram), make a tunnel from right near that connection to wherever you want your land-based tunnel portal to be.  Do likewise in the neighbouring city.

 

4.  Exit the game, remove your water-drain bit, then fire up SC4 again.

 

That city connection (and the FLUP portal next to it) are now underwater... but they still work.  So what you get is the effect of an underwater tunnel to your neighbouring city.  Example image follows (mind, I drop the connection-end of things down a fairly deep trench in this example, because my seabed was shallow enough that the underwater FLUP is still barely visible through the water).  [EDIT:  Fixed this by sloping the whole edge down nice and smooth to a depth of about 100 meters.  The underwater FLUP and connection is nicely invisible now.]

 

It's a kludge, I know.  But needs must when the devil drives.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Dever clevil.

[JessiLaurn 184]

Updated the photo.  Looks much better now that I smoothed the edge down along that whole slope.

[rivit 3,391]

Another Bridge with added Tunnel is in Sydney Harbour - the Bridge was built in 1932 and the tunnel added in 1992. They share the Northern approaches and end in different places in the city.  The Tunnel goes quite close to (under) the Sydney Opera House.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Now the underwater tunnel connection between cities is a possibility that I hadn't been aware of - until now, that is. Thank you for sharing this method with us, Jessi! A kludge it may be, at least if you look at what it actually is. But then I think, kludge shmudge... if it works fine and looks good, it's a good solution in my books!

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

This is very interesting didn't know this was actually possible , can you do this with the avenue FLUP pieces? I would imagine there would be potential for crashes if you have a subway line used for actual subway intersect it. 

[rsc204 21,814]

Absolutely you can do this with Ave, even Tram in Ave too. In fact any of the FLUPs-compatible networks will work.

You don't even need to drain the water. Just select Water Pollution in Data View and you can see clearly. These FLUPs pieces are designed so that you can place them where there is water.

[HayleyRenaNemeth 465]

that actually opens up a lot of new possibilities , I can do this under a bridge as well. 

[AsimPika3172 1,136]

Thanks for nice tutorial!

[Kenward 0]

Will this work for Rail also?   Is there  FLUP  For  Rail?