how long did you play sc4 before you knew about Simtropolis?

[47ply 1,100]

I had the game for years played once or twice never got into it then while in the hospital I started to make some good size cities with out any patch's or anything. then I stumbled across a you tube video a lets play thing forget by who and he left a link and then I saw the light!!!! Thanks to the Simtropolis community. 

[MandelSoft 2,774]

I played SimCity 4 (without Rush Hour!) before I discovered SimTropolis. I found out about mods after one year and that I need Rush Hour for this. Unfortunately, it took me quite a while to find Rush Hour. I finally found a second-hand disk on Marktplaats.nl for only €3.76 including shipping costs. Best purchase ever! The disc is still running like it did seven years ago.

 

After that, I joined SimTropolis community to download mods. I never expected to become such an intergral part of the modding community (or even a moderator, for that matter). Life can take some surprising turns...

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

I first came across this site about three years ago. Before then I was playing Rush Hour over the years without any mods or any knowledge there were mods out there. Then I saw a video, possibly one of Heblem's lotted cities, showing a modded SC4 and my mind was blown. I did some looking around and I found Simtropolis. I lurked for about a year, and then posted an SC2013 CJ about a year and a half ago. During that time I got into downloading modded content and I started with the CAM, that was the first mod I used.

 

During 2013 I messed around with the new content and had some fun. And then at the start of this year I started my SC4 CJ.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I played the vanilla game for about a year.  Then Rush Hour.  I found a reference to ST on the old Maxis site, and have never looked back.

[vortext 573]

I played SC4 quite a bit shortly after RH was released. Then around 2005 RL took hold and I forgot about SC4 all together until one evening discussing videogames with a friend. When I told him I got bored with SC4 mainly because of the limited amount of buildings, he pointed me to Simtropolis. That was four years and a half years ago and the rest is history. 

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

I played SC4 quite a bit shortly after RH was released. Then around 2005 RL took hold and I forgot about SC4 all together until one evening discussing videogames with a friend. When I told him I got bored with SC4 mainly because of the limited amount of buildings, he pointed me to Simtropolis. That was four years and a half years ago and the rest is history. 

 

You created one of the best tree controllers out there, it so amazingly versatile and great!

[Benedict 3,119]

My story is the opposite - I was a member of ST for 3 years before starting to play the game in 2006. Played vanilla until last year when I installed the diagonal streets mod.

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

I first played SC4 shortly after its release, then followed by the Rush Hour expansion. For a while I played like this, without ever being aware of the community which was developing. Playing the game intermittently, it took me about 5 years before discovering the official lot exchange (simcity.ea.com). As I'm sure some of you will remember, the quality of the items on there wasn't anything like today's standards. Some of the stuff was very hit and miss. Although it did at least add something new to the game, which I never realised was possible.

 

It was by chance that I discovered Simtropolis from an item on that exchange, in around 2008/9. The sheer volume of content seemed endless, and of such greater quality. Likewise on SC4D and SimPeg, which I also came across. During this time, I must have spent longer downloading things than actually playing! It was only until 2012 that I decided to become more actively involved in the SC4 community. Also with a new PC, I took the opportunity to re-build & organise my plugins -- a task that never seems to end!

[Compdude787 916]

I have owned SC4 Deluxe since 2005, when I got it as a Christmas present, IIRC. I played it quite a bit, but I could never make money and that pretty much ruined the fun of the game. As a result, I lost interest and stopped playing by late-2011. Then, in February of this year, I decided to dust off the SC4 disc and stick it in my drive and I reinstalled the game. Determined to be successful at making money this time around, I watched this YouTube video by Dwyrin that helped a lot. In watching that video, I saw turning lanes appear on roads, evidence of the NAM. So I'm like "there must be mods for SC4, I should download them." After watching the video, I immediately Googled "SC4 mods" and found this webpage that had a list of a lot of mods for the game with links. Clicking on the links, I discovered Simtropolis as well as SC4 Devotion, and I registered here on February 18th, a day after downloading the RTMT and the NAM. And I started watching Haljackey's Building a City from Scratch videos, where he demonstrated his masterful skills of building huge cities and using much RHW. I think those videos helped me understand how the RHW even works.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Like many others, I have played SC4 long before I knew about ST. Got my first copy of SC4 in 3rd grade(I was 8 years old at the time) and played it for about 2 years before it got so scratched it wouldn't work. My second copy(Not current) of SC4 I bought in 2008 in 7th grade, and I relaunched into the SimCity Series in general. I remember it was early 2009 when I first discovered Simtropolis through links on SC4 youtube videos, and after seeing all the possible mods available for the game did it make me want to  get such content. It would not be until November 2009(When I made my first email address) that I would actually make an account on Simtropolis and start up my life on this site.(Note I had to buy another disc because the 2nd one also got badly scratched)

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

I didn't install SC4 Deluxe until August 2013, so my very first action after walking through the tutorials was to search for patches. I guess I played for one day before finding Simtropolis.

[Tropod 144]

IIRC I'd only been playing for a few months before coming across ST here when I was a mod/mayor at simcity.com. I think from memory it was a post by Ralphael that triggered my wandering . And it's been awesome ever since, hard to leave here, it's like my 3rd family 

[Huston 5,799]

I had the deluxe edition and it took me quite a long time to realize that there was a modded SC4 world out there, but for about 2-3 years, I'd played it on and off without mods. I'd even often play cities where I maxed the loan amount and screw the city into bankruptcy. I didn't really understand SC4 fully for a while (SC3KU was waaay easier ). Then I searched through SC4 game images, and I came across this beautiful nightshot that I can no longer find. Sparked my interested in finding CC, until I stumbled onto ST.

 

For the first year or two of playing with CC, I couldn't even get the nightlights to work

[Prophet42 1,503]

I never bought the vanilla version of SC4.  I had to wait until I could afford a new computer that could handle the requirements of SC4.  By the time I got the new computer, SC4 Deluxe had come out so I bought that directly.  I found Simtropolis within a few days of purchasing SC4 deluxe through a link on the Maxis SimCity website.  The mods and building variety available on Simtropolis is basically what has kept this game fresh and interesting to me.  I can honestly say, if it wasn't for Simtropolis, I wouldn't still be playing SC4.

[Compdude787 916]

I can honestly say, if it wasn't for Simtropolis, I wouldn't still be playing SC4.

Same for almost all of us!

[Mymyjp 1,052]

I bought the game in May of this year (2014), so yes, I am extremely new at all this. I found Simtropolis 1 or 2 days after purchasing the game while searching for tutorials.

I have to say this site is the main reason I didn't give up on the game...the learning curve is very large, but the support of some of the players here is what really makes this game (well, also the wonderful buildings and mods!) a pleasant adventure.

[9gruntsand1hammer 3,198]

Got the game in late 2003. Was playing it on and off for six years until I discovered Simtropolis in the fall of 2009. Having all the new buildings and mods make the game so much better.

I made five regions in the game without the use of any mods.

[Jim14409 448]

I was already a member of Simtropolis  before SC4 came out. November 2001 I started playing Sim City and signed up for Simtropolis 6-24-2003. After moving from another state I was away from the game and the site for a couple of years and couldn't find my old sign-up info so I opened a new account (this one) May 31, 2009. I do appreciate Simtropolis even if I do make some folks angry once in a while with my many differing opinions and viewpoints. I have learned a lot and greatly benefited from this site and am happy it has continued.

[Sabretooth78 808]

tl:dr, about 7 months from release to registration.

 

I was heavy into SC3k until SC4 went into pre-release, at which time I never played it again.  I pre-ordered the game and received it on MLK day in 2003 - I remember being surprised whoever it was (UPS?) delivered it on a holiday.  I also remember being annoyed I didn't just buy it in the store on release day as I would have gotten it sooner.  I played "vanilla" for a little while.

 

As to exactly when I discovered ST, I'm not quite sure.  It may have been off the official exchange as others have noted.  It was either that, or after Rush Hour was announced.  I vaguely remember researching that and coming across a few articles that were posted here about it (in particular I remember that doctored screenshot showing the end of an "avenue" bridge and a huge pileup).  Either way, after discovering the site I lurked a bit but recall being confused by how to actually find things so it didn't hold my attention for very long.  I also abandoned the game until Rush Hour came out as I had decided that the vanilla game was no longer worth playing in the meantime.

 

Eventually I gave it another crack and registered and was quite active between 2003-2006; particularly in the BATing community (and wow has the bar been lifted since then) but also with a few meager forays into city journaling.  Real life took hold and I disappeared - also the fact that the game required a CD in the drive while now also owning a laptop was a huge turn-off (I used to like to just keep the disc in the drive).  Sometime in 2008 I almost came back; at that time I discovered SC4D and started downloading new content but for whatever reason it didn't amount to anything.  Then, on a whim I bought a digital copy off Amazon on 2013-06-14.

 

Haven't looked back since.  There is still a piece of me that misses the old "black" theme, though!

 

...the official lot exchange (simcity.ea.com). As I'm sure some of you will remember, the quality of the items on there wasn't anything like today's standards. Some of the stuff was very hit and miss. 

 

Every once in a blue moon I was able to find something there that I found usable.  I don't think any of it remains in my plugins aside from the official downloads that are needed as dependencies for community content.  My most prominent memory is the sheer volume of piracy.  I especially noticed it after I released my "Niagara Mohawk Building" BAT onto the STEX.  It was soon popping up all over the place it seemed on that exchange.  I reported a bunch of them and then never wasted another second on it.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

I started playing SC4 in in the summer of 2009, if I can remember correctly (and it was already SC4 Deluxe). After searching for a bunch of online tutorials, I got directed to ST and SC4D. In comparison, I first logged onto deviantART in January of 2009.

 

Given that I first registered in June of 2009, you can tell that my time with the vanilla game was extremely short. Oddly enough, I had a thing against downloading ANY mods because I had to undergo registration, but I eventually caved in and first downloaded the NAM.

 

And then it all went up from there...  :kitty:

[CapTon 592]

Well, I kinda have a long story...

 

I was using Google to search specifically for city-builder games because I was really into them in 2012 (not that I'm not now, but you get my point), and I came across the website for the new SimCity. I was excited, but was soon disappointed to find out that it was coming out in 2013. So I went on to the forums and viewed some posts and found that there was another game I could play: SimCity 4. So I went and bought it and played it for about a year without any mods .

 

In the summer of 2013, I was searching for SimCity 4 mods, and that's how I found this site.

[Toby Ferrian 875]

I started playing SimCity 4 in 2005, and found Simtropolis in an article about the site on some news sitei think it was pcgamer somewhere in 2010. So 5 years?

[iLoveMusic 66]

I think I got SC4 Deluxe in 2004, but I found it to be too difficult for me back then and hardly played it until dusting it off again last year. Made a region without mods, got stuck, then found Simtropolis and the NAM, and the rest is history.

[.anonyman 28]

I got the game in 2008, when it was in the bargain bin. I joined simtropolis in Jan. 2013.

 

It was my own stupidity that brought me here: while trying to re-install the game, I kept running the game with the wrong disk. I turned to google for help and was directed to these forums. Everyone is so nice that I keep coming back!

[Haljackey 17,380]

Not long. Got SC4 the day it came out in 2003, started following Modd Squad: Transport (later NAM) developments here at ST in 2004.

 

Lurked for a while though, didn't sign up until late 2005.

[tankmank 853]

I first came across SC4

[tankmank 853]

i started playing since it first came out in 2004, i was, and am the most tech/internet savvy in my house, my parentes/siblings don't know how to fully 'unlock' many aspects' f the internet, so since 2005 i would say when my mum got internet that i found Simtropolis, i have ever since been a part of the community, i was 12/13 at the time, the internet was so open and new to me, and i guess it has become a library for me. I became aware of simtrolpolis through the EA website. Simcity/Simtroplis has been my 'password' to the internet, giving me the power and confidence to explore and exploit to to my full potential  

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

I got the game around christmas of 2010, when I was a complete computer novice. Learnt about Simtropolis and SC4D some time in 2012, but I initially only downloaded mods from SC4D. I didn't know what a .dat was and kept double clicking it trying to start the installer. Then I realised how it all worked around the beginning of 2013. Became a solid part of the chat about a year and a half ago. Then the forums a little more than a year ago, and that's where I find myself right now.

[MushyMushy 3,618]

I got the game back in 2004 when I was like five (yeah, I'm not very old), so I was too little to even know what a mod was. I played for like 2 years, put it on the shelf, and didn't drag it out again until like 2011. At that point I got bored fast, and then I found ST. I lurked for a while before actually registering in 2012.

 

So if you're counting the time until actually joining, that's about 8 years.

[jmsepe 2,039]

I played SimCity 4 since Grade 3 or 4 so that is around early 2005 or late 2006. I stopped around in late 2007 due to my computer crashing. (This was the time when my computer really sucks that even MS Word hangs sometimes and RealOne Player was the best mp3 playback software there was.). There were no plugins that time and was just pure vanilla. I entered ST in 2008 and began downloading files, back then I was very inactive. I only visit the site for plugins and nothing more. I stopped playing in 2012, I guess due to lack of interest (well, maybe I play in some instances but unlike the earlier days where I nearly play the game everyday or at least once a week). I re-registered in the site in 2013 (my current account) and began playing again like the golden years. Created my CJ, Teiko in January of this year and began actively posting in this forum of the same month.