Running SC4 on a Mac

[TEG24601 32]

If you are running the Disc version, check out 

 

It is highly advisable that you purchase the Steam version of SimCity 4, as it has far fewer issues than the App Store version.  For one the Steam version isn't sandboxed, so plug-ins are easy to install, and you can utilize the terrain/mapping files for your regions.

 

Download NAM from LEX Download

 

If you are running the Steam Version, there is no need to move any files to make the plugins work, they just will.  For the App Store version, you will need to move the contents of the newly created Plugins Folder to "~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.simcity4.appstore/Data/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins" (use Command + Shift + G to easily navigate to the folder).

 

There are no special setups, no tweaks to perform, no modifications needed to get either Digital version to run.  However, the Aspyr port seems to have a limit as to the number of files you can have in the plugins.  No one knows for sure, except that the Steam version has a higher value than the App Store version, and both are significantly reduced when your system isn't connected to the Internet.

[DrunkeN 1]

Anyone have the numbers for the plug in file limit? I recently got the steam version and my plug in folder is getting quite large.

[TEG24601 32]

Anyone have the numbers for the plug in file limit? I recently got the steam version and my plug in folder is getting quite large.

I don't have a hard limit, but I have over 750 files, without an issue.

[a_muses 39]

What's the difference between the Plugins folder inside the ~/Library/Containers folder and the one inside the app itself?

[TEG24601 32]

What's the difference between the Plugins folder inside the ~/Library/Containers folder and the one inside the app itself?

The one in the Containers folder is the one inside the App itself, I just gave the full path, so you can bypass the "Open Container" option, and only relevant for App Store purchases.

[mutton noir 170]

Just downloaded the App Store version of SC4. I've never been a gamer, but I'm hooked! Now want to add greater range of 'mods'. I've downloaded the NAM 32 release for Mac, followed all the installation procedures, launched the game and... the only difference appears to be a few extra garden/recreational extras, nothing else. I've looked around the HD and found some files and documentation but I'm stumped as to what to do next in order to get full functionality from NAM 32. Can anyone help with a simple idiots guide that will help. Thanks!

[DavidB_ 83]

Just downloaded the App Store version of SC4. I've never been a gamer, but I'm hooked! Now want to add greater range of 'mods'. I've downloaded the NAM 32 release for Mac, followed all the installation procedures, launched the game and... the only difference appears to be a few extra garden/recreational extras, nothing else. I've looked around the HD and found some files and documentation but I'm stumped as to what to do next in order to get full functionality from NAM 32. Can anyone help with a simple idiots guide that will help. Thanks!

 

Since you're using the Mac App Store version of SimCity 4 the location of the "Plugins" folder has been changed. Move the NAM folders into the proper directory for your installation, as per the instructions below. We can't say it enough; no matter how eager you are to get playing, please read the ReadMe!

 

 

4. In custom installation, the installer allows you to change the default

   path of the installation. DO NOT CHANGE THE DEFAULT PATH. The default

   installation will end up in

   "~/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins/Network Addon Mod".

   If that is where your plugins are located, everything is fine. Though, if

   not, you will have to move the folders "Network Addon Mod" and "z___NAM"

   into your actual plugins folder after the installation process finished.

   (Advanced users will want to create a symlink at "~/Documents/SimCity 4".)

 

   The reason why this is necessary is that, currently, some of the

   installation paths of the NAM cannot be changed which therefore would

   always end up in the default location. Hence, this approach ensures that

   your installation does not miss essential files.

 

   The location of the plugins folder is "~/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins"

   for the Steam and disk version, whereas it is

   "~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.simcity4.appstore/Data/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins"

   for the App Store version.

 

   To reveal the Library folder in your home folder, in Finder, open the

   "Go" menu and hold the Option (Alt) key. The Library folder will then

   appear in that menu.

[mutton noir 170]

Thanks for your help, time to give it a go!

[mutton noir 170]

GOT IT INSTALLED PROPERLY- SO SIMPLE WHEN YOU KNOW HOW! Thanks for help folks, off to spend another day creating amazing cities- now with roundabouts!

[harrydawg44 1]

I am new here and I am going to tell you that I am not the smartest when it comes to this stuff. So...I downloaded NAM for Mac, used the UnArchiver, followed the ReadMe and the Network Addon Mod folder and the z____Nam are in my Plugins folder. I purchased the game thru Steam so I did not need to move them. However, when I play the game, none of this stuff is there. I also got a few things from STEX which are also in the Plugins folder and they are not present in the game either. I have looked everywhere for answers but can't find what I am doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[_Michael 2,681]

I am new here and I am going to tell you that I am not the smartest when it comes to this stuff. So...I downloaded NAM for Mac, used the UnArchiver, followed the ReadMe and the Network Addon Mod folder and the z____Nam are in my Plugins folder. I purchased the game thru Steam so I did not need to move them. However, when I play the game, none of this stuff is there. I also got a few things from STEX which are also in the Plugins folder and they are not present in the game either. I have looked everywhere for answers but can't find what I am doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Where are you putting the plugins? In your relevant documents folder or in the application sandbox, (which is harder to find)

[harrydawg44 1]

michae95l,

Thanks for the response. I got it fixed and running now. After some digging I figured which files are important with mods and what isn't. But then I put a bunch of stuff (maybe 230 files) in my plugins folder and it was causing CTD every time. So now I am removing all of them and putting them back in individually to see what the problem is. I guess you live and learn, huh?

[km87505 0]

I'm a super confused newbie and need assistance too. You all seem very helpful. I have SC4 Deluxe, version 1.1.1, and an OS X Intel Mac.

My first issue is that I downloaded this recently from Amazon, and I can't figure out how to update it. I saw on the thread, "For the Eager, Yet Overwhelmed Newcomer," that the versions you get nowadays from official sources already come updated, but I guess Amazon's version could be old. On the other thread, there's actually no link after "Own the Mac edition and can't open .exe's? Check out this thread:" So where do Mac users get the basic patches? I do need them, right?

Second, I downloaded some mods, and I am 100% certain they are extracted and located in the Documents>SimCity 4>Plugins folder, but I don't think they're working. Nothing in the game seemed to change. My z___NAM folder was empty until I found a lot of files that looked like they belong inside it in my trash. (Either that or the files are hidden and on my machine I don't have it set to view hidden files.) I've downloaded a few buildings that are supposed to be under landmarks and there's no sign of them either. 

Third, since I want to start modding, I want to back up my work, but I can't find the file. Using spotlight, there's just no trace of the file I found named in some other sticky thread and of course can't find again.

Honestly at this point I think I should delete everything in my plugins folder and start fresh, if not reinstall the game. It's just going to take time I don't want to invest to find where I downloaded these mods from, hah. I just found a folder in my trash called SimCity 4, and it has folders such as HTTPCache, Regions, and temp, that the SC4 folder in my Documents folder does not.

I'm so confused I don't even know if I'm asking the right questions. What would you all recommend I do here? I'd upload a screenshot of my plugins folder, but even here I get an error message: "There was a problem processing the uploaded file. Operation timed out after 5000 milliseconds with 0 bytes received." Thanks all in advance.

  Edited October 7, 2015 by km87505  
I just said $%&^! and it changed it to $%&^!

[gmlaster 21]

Solution to the SC4 Mac OS File Limit (Aspyr App Store Version):

I like to keep my Plugins folder super-organized, not just for neatness' sake but because if I run into a problem, want to swap out a mod that may conflict with something new I'm adding, or I just want to update a plugin, having my folders neatly organized into sensible categories makes it really easy to find what I need. But…the downside to this is that each folder I create pushes me ever closer to that nasty file limit.

I learned from Aspyr's tech support that there are actually two ways to get around this problem. The high-tech way involves Unix commands or an XML script that will let you increase your computer's file limit. The low-tech, non-programming way involves getting rid of unnecessary files you may have accumulated in your Plugins folder. We'll look at both methods in this post. 

Using Unix to Set the File Limit:

For Snow Leopard or before:

Open a Terminal window. At the prompt, type:

/etc/launchd.conf
limit maxfiles xxxxxx xxxxxx

NOTE: The x's are file limit number you want to set. Be sure to change the x's in both numbers. Reboot for this to take effect.

For Mountain Lion (10.8) or Lion:

Open a terminal window. At the prompt, type:

/etc/sysctl.conf 
kern.maxfiles=xxxxxx
kern.maxfilesperproc=xxxxxx 

Again, change the x's to the file limit number you want to set. You will have to reboot for this to take effect.

Using XML to Set the File Limit

For Mavericks (10.9), Yosemite and El Capitan:

None of the above-listed methods will work due to changes in the system architecture. To adjust the maximum file limit, you will have to create a property list that goes into your Library/Preferences folder (limit.maxfiles.plist) that has an XML script that will allow you to set that number. You will need to know how to use the Mac's XCode application to create a .plist file from this script:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
        "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>limit.maxfiles</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
      <string>launchctl</string>
      <string>limit</string>
      <string>maxfiles</string>
      <string>524288</string>
      <string>524288</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>ServiceIPC</key>
    <false/>
  </dict>
</plist>

Just change the numbers between the two <string> tags to set your file limit number. For more information or if you run into trouble, just Google "Unix Mac commands to increase file limit" or "Creating a .plist from XML in XCode" and you'll find help from the experts. 

But What If I Don't Know Unix or XML?

That's okay. There's a low-tech way to do it without programming, albeit a little time consuming and tedious, but seriously, why play around with code when you can just do a little disk housekeeping and buy yourself some space by removing files and folders that serve no useful purpose? What follows are some instructions for doing this the old fashioned way, and quite frankly, I liked doing it because it made me do some much-needed purging of useless files:

Get Rid of Unnecessary Folders!!!!!!

Folders are a great way of hitting that file limit in no time flat, and they really accumulate quickly. So as you organize your files, try to keep the number of folders you create to a bare minimum. This may take a bit of strategizing, but one good way to do it is to structure things in a basic hierarchy of folders:

• Mods
• Props
• Lots
• Textures

While some mods will, out of necessity, need to be kept at the highest (or "root") level of the Plugins folder, everything else can go into folders inside the Mods, Textures, Props, or Lots folders (except for the NAM stuff, which you should just install as directed and then leave it alone). While I like to organize my mods into logical groupings (i.e., Terrain Mods, Rock Mods, Tree Mods, etc.), you don't have to. SC4 will work just fine without it. But I don't like wasting precious game time farting around looking for plugins, so a little organization goes a long way. 

I do the same with props, because so many lots have dependencies on these props and prop packs, and trying to work out what prop packs you have and which ones you're missing can be a real headache. So I organize my prop packs by the manufacturer (i.e., JENX, BSC, BLS, MBEAR, PEG, etc.) so when I get lots from those manufacturers, I can tell at a glance which packs I already have before I go looking for downloads. And I keep all of them in a "Prop Packs" folder so I can easily figure out any dependency issues. The remainder of my props I organize into logical groupings in the main Props folder (Beach, Flora, Fences, etc.) or again by manufacturer (PEG, MBEAR, etc.).

What Should I Do With .EXE Windows Installer Files?

To answer KM87505's question about dealing with the .exe Windows installer files, if you get props or prop packs that come as a .exe, there's a utility for Mac called File Juicer that will unstuff those .exe's so you can get directly at the DAT and LOT files inside them, bypassing the Windows installer altogether. Just drag and drop the .exe into the File Juicer window, let it finish the conversion, then drag the DAT and LOT folders out of the Juice folder and stick them into your Plugins folder yourself. Not as nice as having an installer, but it's definitely better than having props you need but can't get to. It's not free either, but if you're going to be serious about playing SimCity 4, it's $20 dollars (or whatever) that you definitely won't regret spending. 

Manage Your Folders Carefully

Nested Folders Are Bad: Nested folders (folders inside of folders, inside of folders, etc.) can pile up fast. In my anal-retentive zeal to keep my Plugins tidy, all those nested folders caused me to hit that file limit hard. Every time you create a new folder, you're adding to the number of files in your Plugins folder and every one of them counts. So consolidate wherever you can. While I like having my .dat files in one folder, .SC4lots in another, etc., I discovered that SC4 works just fine if all the .dat, .SC4lot, .SC4model and .SC4Desc files are loose in the same folder. This cut down to a fraction the number of folders I needed and made it possible for me to actually load ALL my custom content, even with the file limit.

And I got this crucial bit of info from the Aspyr tech as well: The farther SC4 has to drill down to find your plugins, the slower it gets and it could potentially cause a crash to desktop (CTD). Why this should matter, I don't know but it does. And when I got rid of all the folders nested six and seven or more levels deep, my performance really did improve…so much so that I completely reorganized everything so that I don't have anything nested more than four folders deep. By just adhering to the simple concept of watching how many folders I create and letting all the related files remain together in one folder, I haven't experienced a single crash, even with all that content installed. And if I want to make changes or get rid of a problematic mod, everything I need is still super easy to find, update or remove.

Finding Your Plugins Folder Quickly

I've included a picture of my Aspyr SimCity 4 folder in this post. Notice that in the sidebar on the left of the Finder window, SimCity 4 is listed at the bottom of the list. That's a shortcut that keeps me from having to go through the headache of drilling down through all those stupid folders to get to my plugins. I find it incredibly inconvenient to have to repeatedly choose Option + the "Go" menu from my desktop menubar, choose "Library" from the list, look for the Containers folder, then the com.aspyr.simcity4.appstore, then the Data folder, and THEN the Document folder to locate my SimCity 4 folder so I can get to my Plugins folder.

So the next time you have to navigate to your SimCity 4 or Plugins folder (assuming you haven't done this already), just grab either of those folders, drag it into the sidebar of your folder window and move it up and down until the blue bar is positioned where you want your folder to appear in the list. In my picture, you can see it's at the bottom, highlighted in blue. So now, whenever you want to get to your SC4 Plugins, you just click that shortcut to jump right to your files…no more drilling down eight folder levels deep to get to your plugins.

WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH YOUR NAM FOLDER!!! Not ever. I cannot stress this enough. If you've got NAM for Mac up and running, just be happy you got it working and leave it alone. Do not try to organize it, rename anything or consolidate files…in fact, just don't touch it. 

Get Those Useless ReadMe Files Out of Your Plugins Folder

You'd be surprised how many of those ReadMe's, .html, .png, .jpg and .txt files get installed with your mods, props and lots. If you're not watching, they can quickly accumulate into the hundreds. The more custom content you have installed, the more likely it is that you've also installed quite a few of these files…files that you will probably never look at again once your content is successfully installed. GET RID OF THEM!!!!!! They're not necessary to running the game and they're just needlessly eating into your file limit.

Remember, every unnecessary file you get rid of is another mod, prop or lot you can add. If you want to save the files, you can always move them to another folder OUTSIDE the Plugins folder for future reference. But remember, the original files you downloaded from the STEX come with the ReadMe's you're deleting. You can always go back to your original downloaded file (assuming you've archived it) and look at the readme. Or you can download it again from the STEX or SC4Devotion to get the ReadMe files again. But get them out of your Plugins folder immediately, if not sooner. When you're done, before you empty your trash, open the Trash folder to get a count of how many of those files you threw away so you can get an idea as to how much space you've freed up and how many new files it's now safe to add. 

The files you NEED to keep will have the following extensions at the end of the filename:

.dat
.SC4lot
.SC4model
.SC4desc

The files you DON'T NEED will have the following extensions at the end of the filename:

.html
.txt
.rtf
.png
.jpg
.pdf

Last but Not Least

Back up your SimCity 4 folder so that you never have to do any of this again. When you add a substantial amount of new content, back it up again. A simple backup can save you days of trying to reconstruct your game files. Because of the file limit, you'll need to always be vigilant as to how much stuff you're adding. So as you add more content, put a color tag on it (right-click on the file and choose one of the color dots at the bottom) so you can identify it, put it in your Plugins folder and start up the game. If it loads, more power to you. But if you crash to desktop, try removing the files you just loaded. If it starts up again, one of two things has happened: 

1) Either the mod or content you just loaded is conflicting with something you have already installed, or
2) You have hit the file limit again, and you need to either delete something you don't need or temporarily move it out of the Plugins folder. Once it's gone, try starting the program with the new content again. If SC4 crashes even after you removed some files, you're probably looking at a conflict. If it works, you know it was the freaky file limit thing.

Once you've established that the file works, take the color tag off so you don't get it confused with other new files you may be trying out. As you add new files, color code and install them a few at a time and test them to see if the program starts up. It they work, take the color coding off of them and do the next batch. This method is slow and painstaking, but if you crash, you'll have a much better idea which file isn't working because there's only a handful of them you were installing. If there's a conflict, one of those files is the culprit. If you've hit the file limit, you can decide at that point what files you're willing to sacrifice to get the program working again. 

I really hope this helps somebody. I have been more than a little disappointed, and even disgusted, by the lack of support for Mac users by pretty much everyone you go to for help. Most people mean well, but in a Windows world, owning a Mac is a bit like owning a Lamborghini. It's an incredible, powerful machine, but you can only take it to the dealership for service because absolutely NOBODY knows how to fix it. More than once, I've been insulted with the suggestion that I "get myself a real computer", which is like telling a Lamborghini owner to get rid of that fancy car and go buy a Chevy. "Why spend all that money? It's just a car!" Nobody in their right mind would pick a Chevy over a Lambo if they could afford one, but they'll never understand why you did because they don't own one and they never will. Don't bother trying to explain. They're perfectly happy driving that Chevy and you're not giving up your Lambo, so why waste time arguing?

We Mac users will just have to soldier on and remember that the only help we really have is each other. So help everybody you can whenever you can. And in spite of the freaky file limit issue, I'm still sending out a big "thank you" to Aspyr for creating a SimCity 4 that works better and faster than anything EAGames ever created for my Mac.

Happy Simming, everybody!!!!!

[Theseventensplit 0]

hope this fits here...

Is there ANY way to just add a bit of custom music? I know the mac version opens up itunes, but all I want is to listen to the SimCity tracks from 3 and 4 together.

I know I can run another app in the background, but I'd prefer to do it from within the game itself, as I like the simplicity, and it bogs down my system less (2010 macbook here)

[Cyclone Boom 16,875]

1 hour ago, Theseventensplit said:

hope this fits here...

It sure does, and welcome to the site.

Although I personally don't run SC4 on a Mac, I'll explain the process on the Windows version I'm familiar with, just in case there are any similarities.

Inside the game's installation there is a folder named "Radio" containing "Stations", and then subfolders:

• Radio
  • Stations
    • Mayor
    • Regions

For me this is at:
<Install Path>\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Radio\Stations

These both hold the 35 default music tracks the game will play. Those in "Mayor" play in mayor mode only, and any inside "Regions" only will be heard when first loading the game and entering region view. Custom tracks can be placed in either (or both) of the folders, and at least MP3 and WAV are supported formats.

So maybe check the folders on your Mac version and see if there's the above location to add your music.

Then in the game go to Audio Options:

Which will open the following menu:

(I'm not sure if there are any differences in the Mac version.)

At the top is the master checkbox for enabling all music. Then at the bottom is the Custom Tunes option. I've found this will be greyed out unless adding any custom music, and then the option must be checked to allow them to be fed into the playlist cycle of all tracks. However, only the default ones will be listed there with the accompanying titles, as these have been programmed into the game. Just remember to hit "Accept" once done to save the changes.

I hope this may at least help point you in the right direction until the Mac experts arrive.

[Theseventensplit 0]

I was able to do that, but clicking custom tunes just starts shuffling my iTunes library

[Subbub 15]

Just got the aspyr version. Do I need to patch/update it from the maxis files page before installing NAM? What about the nightlight update?

[rsc204 21,808]

22 hours ago, Subbub said:

Do I need to patch/update it from the maxis files page before installing NAM?

Digital versions come pre-patched, however no such patches (EP1 / Nitelighting) were ever made for the Mac version. So you can never patch anything. NAM does include some EP1 fixes, mainly path files, which help to close this gap, but sadly a lot of other issues remain.

22 hours ago, Subbub said:

What about the nightlight update?

Again, this was simply never created for the Mac version. Last year we re-discovered a work-around that wasn't very public, to make custom models work with Nite-Lighting. But there are limitations there and as a project, it's not exactly set the world on fire. Long and short if you can mod things yourself, it's very possible, but if you need pre-modded files, very little exists at this time.

[Subbub 15]

Hey! Thanks for letting me know. I found this out the long way last night! 

Hopefully this info will help the next person in their process, since In all the documents/threads I read there was no concrete "Hey you don't need to worry about the patches if you have the mac digital version." - that I could find at least!  

Thanks again!
 

[sxl168 1]

Update to gmlaster's post that provide instructions for lifting the Aspyr's version max.file.limit. I ran across a similar issue/solution with Apache at https://mampsupportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=155 

There they describe how to lift this limit without needing xcode. I also attached an RTF of the page to this message in case the page disappears at a later date. I tried this method and it appears to be working from the troubleshooting commands provided on that page. You can skip over the part to increase max processes as the default setting should be more than enough.

Last login: Fri Jan 20 10:06:51 on console
sxl168@Mac-M1 ~ % launchctl limit maxfiles
    maxfiles    64000          524288         
sxl168@Mac-M1 ~ % ulimit -a
-t: cpu time (seconds)              unlimited
-f: file size (blocks)              unlimited
-d: data seg size (kbytes)          unlimited
-s: stack size (kbytes)             8176
-c: core file size (blocks)         0
-v: address space (kbytes)          unlimited
-l: locked-in-memory size (kbytes)  unlimited
-u: processes                       2666
-n: file descriptors                64000
sxl168@Mac-M1 ~ % 

Increase Max Files and Processes Mac OS Monterey.rtfd.zip

[rsc204 21,808]

Wouldn't it just be easier to use JDATPacker to reduce the number of files/folders?, this seems pretty complex for most users.