Vanilla Only Challenge (S3-01-W)

[Hamish 1,369]

Results Announced Here!

Vanilla Only Challenge
Show off the best image you can create with the limited palette that vanilla SimCity 4 provides
Season 3 - Challenge #01 - Weekly (7 days)

Thanks to @Mymyjp for the challenge idea.

For the first Challenge of Season 3, we return to the very beginning and task you with showing off the best image you can create with Vanilla SimCity 4. Obviously this is a really hard task, as our community has really advanced the visual appeal of SimCity 4, but we think you can make something beautiful. Remember the little tweaks you can make within the game itself, turn off grids, try hand terraforming to smooth out the terrain, mayor mode plop trees to beautify areas.

You can use anything available to you in the base game and in the rush hour expansion, or in SimCity Deluxe, updated to the latest version of the game. We weren't going to be cruel and remove the advancements which rush hour made.  But please, no photoshopping the images either. So get creating, and show us the best that Vanilla SimCity 4 can bring! 
 

This is a  Weekly  challenge running for 7 days.

 

Submission Requirements

1. No custom content or photo manipulation is allowed!
    
2. Must use either SimCity 4, SimCity 4 with Rush Hour expansion, or SimCity 4 Deluxe edition, all of these can be patched to their latest versions.
    
3. Please submit only one image for this challenge.
    
4. For the purpose of voting, please check your image has a full title & description.
    
5. To qualify for entry, please ensure your image is uploaded to the below category, and complies with these requirements.

 

Returning to Vanilla Mode

This is simple to do, but is so difficult for your sanity!

The easiest way to remove all plugins is to rename your old plugins folder.

On Windows, find it at  C:\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins
Or on a Mac under  ~/Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins

Rename this folder to something like "PluginsOld", or anything you can remember it by.

When you boot up SimCity 4 there will be no plugins in your game. This is because it'll load a new empty plugins folder. However, your existing plugins set will be preserved in the folder you renamed.

To restore your plugins setup, just delete the empty folder.

Then you can rename "PluginsOld" back to "Plugins", and return to the limitless world of custom content.

Note: You may also have plugins inside the Maxis plugins folder. This is located at the game's installation path, usually:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Plugins

If so, you can also rename it to "PluginsOld", or anything you'd like.

To restore this plugins set, just rename it back to "Plugins". Unlike the Documents one, the game won't create a new folder here.

 

An alternative method is to use the UserDir command, as explained here.

This can tell the game to load an empty folder of your choice.

Hope this makes sense, and please post below if you'd like further clarification.

 

New Leaderboard System 

As mentioned in the announcement topic, this season will be using a brand new leaderboard system.

Each challenge will award points to all participants, based on your placing. The higher the position you come, the more points you'll receive. It also gives an extra incentive to take part, even if you don't reach the podium. Then at the end of the season, prizes will be awarded based on your overall standing.

Full details and the current standings can be viewed in the following topic:

 

The winner will be the top ranked image after the voting period, and the final rank will be determined by the Baseline Automated Ranking System (BARS).
See this topic for more info.

For this  Weekly  challenge, rep prizes will be given for the top 3 placed entries, along with points for the "Overall" and "Weekly & Extended" leaderboards.

Good luck everyone! 

 

[ThuanLy 19]

must delete plugin, so hard to play =))

[Cyclone Boom 16,829]

15 minutes ago, ThuanLy said:

must delete plugin, so hard to play =))

Wait... you don't need to delete them!

An quick way to play vanilla is by renaming your Plugins folder (check the "Returning to Vanilla Mode" heading above).

[Cool_Z 1,547]

It won't change much for me, 90% of the time I play vanilla 

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Playing without plugins is like getting myself neutered! I must bow out of this challenge. Good to luck to the rest of you!

[rsc204 21,804]

Removing the bulk of my plugins, that I could probably cope with, in fact I play that way often. But removing the NAM, no thank you, how did I ever play without it? Then removing my slope mod, MMPs, Tree Controller and the kitchen sink, nope, that's a step too far for me too.

Still, it might be interesting to see what people can come up with.

[Mister Giggles 310]

I look forward to seeing what the crafty folks here can do to draw out the immense beauty of the game's core assets.

...no, that wasn't sarcasm. Stop making faces!

[Cool_Z 1,547]

26 minutes ago, Mister Giggles said:

I look forward to seeing what the crafty folks here can do to draw out the immense beauty of the game's core assets.

...no, that wasn't sarcasm. Stop making faces!

You just made me wonder about one thing...

is the "go away Wren" fix banned ?

What if someone posts a Wrenageddon pic ?????

[Mister Giggles 310]

50 minutes ago, Cool_Z said:

You just made me wonder about one thing...

is the "go away Wren" fix banned ?

What if someone posts a Wrenageddon pic ?????

It would be the most upvoted picture in the history of the site.

Prepares the bot swarm.

[Cyclone Boom 16,829]

I can understand this starter isn't to everyone's taste.

However for those interested, do keep those entries coming!

Rest assured, we've got lots more variety planned this season. The main course will be revealed shortly...

[Mister Giggles 310]

Not to everyone's taste, no, but a great challenge to get people to think outside the box. Think about it. Full-blown MacGyvering! You have badly scaled tiny houses and 500 Wrens. That's basically all you need to make Rapture.

[Cool_Z 1,547]

I've got a stupid question...

I was playing without the nam for a while and was about to reinstall it to start a new region. But for this contest I will have to remove my plugins folder (obviously).

Doesn't the nam modify some of the original game files ? 

[rsc204 21,804]

Aside from the 4GB patch, which shouldn't be an issue contest-wise, all those updates are part of the files NAM installs in the Plugins folder. So provided you have an empty plugins folder, it shouldn't pose a problem for this contest.

[Cool_Z 1,547]

Good to know. Thanks ! 

[CorinaMarie 29,556]

On 6/14/2016 at 4:18 PM, rsc204 said:

... removing my slope mod ...

I used the Raise and Lower Terrain mayor mode tools and then drew out rail line to make my slopes.

[Sepen77 157]

Hah, this is perfect! I just got back to the game after 2 years of going hiatus. My old PC from 2002 can't handle anything more than this game. After installing this week, I haven't gotten around to provisioning it with any mods yet. I guess I'll keep it vanilla to finish off this challenge before I go ham with the custom content.

[SecretMbr_735754 2,157]

Voting starts Monday 20th of June.  Is that day the deadline for submitting an entry?  What size of city?  Small, medium or large?

[kschmidt 6,150]

Vanilla, just the basic game, rushhour not judged ? NAM excluded aswell ! Prety challenge, but only maxis stuff to add, no diagonal or far roads and only basic terraforming or slope mod´s allowed it seems a ideal challenge for new commers to learn the game ! Like the challenge but repetition of maxis elements is to much for me ! Some no intruding mod´s might be allowed like the no minimize button remover and pause thingly remover and , terrain or water mod maybe a bit over the edge !

Alternatively for some user´s who don´t like to rename there plugin directory I like to mention the UserDir commandline in wich a seperate directory is used for running a instalation. As sampele use " "C:\Maxis\Simcity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CPUcount:1 -intro:off -w -UserDir:"C:\Vannila CHL\" . Any plugin in in the SC4Deluxe plugin folder needs Ctrl X like the SimcityExtraPlugin so not using is sufficient to meet the challenge !

For comparison sake this is a very nice challenge, as no custom content deciding the beauty of the entry. Last year challenges where mostly decided on how rich an beatifull a entry was, instead some only went for a basic spartan style wich got little recognition. Challenge specific on certain features should be judge as so , open voting fine but one meeds to read the requiremnets of the challenge before judging; maybe these can be added before entering the voting page. If as sample beautifycation or town building is alowed but not to be  judged for one knows what ito look for when judging !

At present I have to decline this challenge for some of the above mentioned reassons . As well I am to much occupied with the Europe ANNO project !

Sincerely yours,

kschmidt

[Hamish 1,369]

6 minutes ago, kschmidt said:

Vanilla, just the basic game, rushhour not judged ? NAM excluded aswell ! Prety challenge, but only maxis stuff to add, no diagonal or far roads and only basic terraforming or slope mod´s allowed it seems a ideal challenge for new commers to learn the game ! Like the challenge but repetition of maxis elements is to much for me ! Some no intruding mod´s might be allowed like the no minimize button remover and pause thingly remover and , terrain or water mod maybe a bit over the edge !

Alternatively for some user´s who don´t like to rename there plugin directory I like to mention the UserDir commandline in wich a seperate directory is used for running a instalation. As sampele use " "C:\Maxis\Simcity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CPUcount:1 -intro:off -w -UserDir:"C:\Vannila CHL\" . Any plugin in in the SC4Deluxe plugin folder needs Ctrl X like the SimcityExtraPlugin so not using is sufficient to meet the challenge !

For comparison sake this is a very nice challenge, as no custom content deciding the beauty of the entry. Last year challenges where mostly decided on how rich an beatifull a entry was, instead some only went for a basic spartan style wich got little recognition. Challenge specific on certain features should be judge as so , open voting fine but one meeds to read the requiremnets of the challenge before judging; maybe these can be added before entering the voting page. If as sample beautifycation or town building is alowed but not to be  judged for one knows what ito look for when judging !

Rush hour, or SimCity 4 Deluxe can be used!

Great tip for disabiling plugins too!

And that's a good point about the judging rules, we'll add them to the album. 

 

2 hours ago, RandyE said:

Voting starts Monday 20th of June.  Is that day the deadline for submitting an entry?  What size of city?  Small, medium or large?

Yes, submit any images before then! Midnight Sunday night. City size is up to you

[kschmidt 6,150]

22 minutes ago, Hamish said:

Rush hour, or SimCity 4 Deluxe can be used!

Great tip for disabiling plugins too!

And that's a good point about the judging rules, we'll add them to the album.

 

Yes, submit any images before then! Midnight Sunday night. 

For comparison sake allowing both Simcity 4 Basic and Rushour in one competition isn.t fare ! Simcity 4 Rushhour adds much more features to the game. They shouldn´t be judged in one competitionl  Two gallery´s one with SC4 basic and one with Rushhour aswell voting area should be enough or set Rushhour as the minimum requirement! Sc4 basic game will be played quit rare these day´s but for comparison !

Sincerely yours,

kschmidt

[Hamish 1,369]

Just now, kschmidt said:

For comparison sake allowing both Simcity 4 Basic and Rushour in one competition isn.t fare ! Simcity 4 Rushhour adds much more features to the game. They shouldn´t be judged in a seperatle competitionl  Two gallery´s one with SC4 basic and one with Rushhour aswell voting area should be enough or set Rushhour as the minimum requirement !

Sincerely yours,

kschmidt

Totally understand, but I'm sure most people would the have rush hour expansion or deluxe by now. I don't even know if you can buy the game without rush hour anymore.

[kschmidt 6,150]

4 minutes ago, Hamish said:

Totally understand, but I'm sure most people would the have rush hour expansion or deluxe by now. I don't even know if you can buy the game without rush hour anymore.

Yes, so elliminating SC4 Basic from the competition is the only way to have a fair playing field !

Sincerely yours,

kschmidt

[Cyclone Boom 16,829]

7 hours ago, RandyE said:

Voting starts Monday 20th of June.  Is that day the deadline for submitting an entry?

We do recommend submitting before voting starts.

Like last season, submissions will still be accepted after the deadline -- we're not going to disqualify any latecomers. However, with less time remaining, this may put you at an increased disadvantage in the voting, as explained in the ranking system.

@kschmidt

Thanks very much for the input.

The idea behind allowing the base game (without Rush Hour) is to just make the rules as open as possible. That's something we're trying to maintain this season, to try and encourage creativity. Nowadays few people are likely to play the base game, but we think it's fair to still give those an opportunity.

Indeed, significant new features were added. Although visually, RH isn't too dissimilar, and quite a few buildings are shared. It'd also be difficult to determine which version is used from an image. In a way, this is similar to the previous NAM challenge, where older NAM versions were allowed, along with the latest v34.

Realistically, this will be the only challenge where the base game can compete with RH, of course the main drawback being support for custom content.

[kschmidt 6,150]

2 hours ago, Cyclone Boom said:

We do recommend submitting before voting starts.

Like last season, submissions will still be accepted after the deadline -- we're not going to disqualify any latecomers. However, with less time remaining, this may put you at an increased disadvantage in the voting, as explained in the ranking system.

@kschmidt

Thanks very much for the input.

The idea behind allowing the base game (without Rush Hour) is to just make the rules as open as possible. That's something we're trying to maintain this season, to try and encourage creativity. Nowadays few people are likely to play the base game, but we think it's fair to still give those an opportunity.

Indeed, significant new features were added. Although visually, RH isn't too dissimilar, and quite a few buildings are shared. It'd also be difficult to determine which version is used from an image. In a way, this is similar to the previous NAM challenge, where older NAM versions were allowed, along with the latest v34.

Realistically, this will be the only challenge where the base game can compete with RH, of course the main drawback being support for custom content.

Last year indeed older NAM version were allowed ! NAM difference where indeed that great. Exceteraging, differences between SC4 basegame and SC4 - RSH, Gold indeed isn´t that great except for some  extra transit features it supports like the monorail, and ferry system, maybe some improvement and some buildings like the parking garage and some other buildings. None the less there´s some difference but not much disturbing none the less ! More or less this need to be ristricted is for the organizers of the challenge !

Sincerely yours,

kschmidt

[SecretMbr_735754 2,157]

On ‎2016‎-‎06‎-‎13 at 6:57 PM, ThuanLy said:

must delete plugin, so hard to play =))

Its a bit late to mention this, but if you are using Windows, you can make a new user account and the plugins folder will be empty for that account.  No renaming or moving or deleting required. 

[CorinaMarie 29,556]

1 hour ago, RandyE said:

Its a bit late to mention this, but if you are using Windows, you can make a new user account and the plugins folder will be empty for that account.  No renaming or moving or deleting required. 

Wouldn't the plugins in the Program Files folder still be in effect tho?

[rsc204 21,804]

11 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

Wouldn't the plugins in the Program Files folder still be in effect tho?

Probably. This is an issue I think that entrants need to be aware of. However, I suspect it's up to entrants to check they aren't infringing the rules. I wonder how many players are really emptying their plugins folders to take part though? I suspect that most of the entries, will be from those who haven't progressed to having a load of custom content yet.

Thing is, would having say the Spaceport Fix, ExtraCheats.dll or an updated capacity default hospital be against the rules here? I personally think that you simply can't use actual buildings, props, textures, flora or lots that were not originally included. So long as you don't have such custom items in your pictures, anything else is really superfluous. Sure maybe you did give yourself 200,000,000 in cash, but the challenge is not the best working city. It's all about what you can make using just the base pieces. How you do it, well I suspect there is a lot of room for flexibility there. If nothing else, how on earth would anyone know based on a screenshot?

In some ways that's the nicest part about this challenge. You don't have to feel intimidated by other entries, from users potentially years ahead of you, in terms of custom content. Everyone is on a level playing field, with the winner mostly likely decided as a result of the most creative use of the exact same stuff.

[Cool_Z 1,547]

2 minutes ago, rsc204 said:

or an updated capacity default hospital

Wait... is there a mod for that ? 

[CorinaMarie 29,556]

1 hour ago, Cool_Z said:

Wait... is there a mod for that ? 

In my short time here I've gotten the impression there's at least 2 or 3 mods for sc4. Maybe more...

[Cool_Z 1,547]

1 minute ago, CorinaMarie said:

In my short time here I've gotten the impression there's at least 2 or 3 mods for sc4. Maybe more...

There is... a certain number of mods for sc4. No more, no less.