City Tile Loading Very Slowly

[daderic888 216]

Hi Guys,

I just installed Simcity 4 Deluxe into my recently wiped computer. The graphics card drivers were also installed successfully.

I then installed NAM Version 34 along with the Olympic Terrain Mod and some water textures.

I'm testing the game to see if it runs ok with the mods by going to the region with the tutorial and I selected a medium size city tile.

However, it is taking AGES to get into that medium size city tile.

Has anyone had any issues with this at all?

How do I fix this?

Any tips / suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

PS: I uninstalled the NAM and the Traffic Simulator, but it is still taking ages.

[raynev1 1,887]

    My game loads cities pretty slow too . But I am using an older PC with MS Vista . And depending on how big your plugins folder is , also adds to loading time . Though I'm not very computer savvy , these are things I have noticed . Good luck .

[daderic888 216]

Hi raynev1

Thanks for the reply.

My OS is Windows 7 (no way will I install Windows 10) and it has taken at least 45 minutes to get nowhere.

I since have deleted the associated Readme and Internet files that were downloaded with the terrain mod. I hope that makes a difference.

I'm also using the Coastal Mod 2009 by (I think) Rivit or Drunkapple.

Thanks.

[twalsh102 1,601]

Daderic,

You're probably shortly going to start getting a lot of advice from a lot of different people about things to try.  A lot of this  is going to involve trying different "switches" (configuration settings to add to the end of your executable in the short cut for the executable).  This works, but can get quite troublesome when making numerous changes trying to figure out what is going on.  I would recommend downloading and installing a Launcher program such as SC4Launcher that allows you to change these settings by merely checking or unchecking a box (in most cases.  This alleviates the need for a lot of typing the possibility of getting wrong syntax.

Having said that, please post the specs for your computer as a  starting point.  Although you probably have enough horsepower to run the game if you are running Windows 7, there are some known problems with some graphics cards.

I would also recommend trying to start the game with no custom content to see what happens.  This will give you (us) a baseline to work with trying to figure out your problem.  If your game still starts slowly with no plugins, then the problem is more likely a configuration problem, or maybe a corrupted installation.  If the "vanilla" game (no external plugins) starts OK, then the problem is possibly one or more of your plugins being corrupted or conflicting with each other.

[rsc204 21,869]

The loading speed of your game has nothing whatsoever to do with your graphics card/drivers. You will not fix this adjusting switches for the game's startup.

Updated 15/9:
I received a PM regarding the above comment. For the sake of clarity, I would like to point out that initially this problem was reported as the game loading "very slowly". In such instances, the problem can not be graphics-related, as per my explanation below. However, "very slowly" actually meant it wasn't loading, most likely a lockup. As such, I apologise if I was too quick in dismissing the advice by @twalsh102.

Upon startup, the game has to go through all of your plugins files, loads them into RAM/indexes them (this makes them more efficient in use). After that, loading form the region screen it needs to load your save file, large/very detailed cities will take longer.

Your CPU is a factor here, but if things are abnormally slow, that suggests that either:

• Your system is running out of RAM for SC4 to use during the process
  Causes things to get tediously slow.
• You have a very large plugins suite or large numbers of non-SC4 files in your plugins folder.
  Removing a file from the plugins here and there won't likely make a dent in the problem.
  It's probably worth pointing out that the way SC4 indexes your plugins folder, means it will scan every file inside, even if they are not SC4 files. This can cause big problems if you have large numbers of these. You should ensure none of these file types are in your plugins folder (Note: list is not exhaustive):
  • .ZIP / .RAR / .EXE archives.
  • .DOC / .PDF / .HTML / .TXT document files.
  • .PNG / .BMP / JPG image files.
  • All other files not ending in SC4Lot / SC4Desc / SC4Model / .DAT
• The hard drive itself is running slowly.
  This is usually indicative of a fault. However, if everything else is working fine, that's unlikely to be the problem here.

You system configuration is probably useful to know, most importantly the CPU type/speed and amount of system RAM you have installed. It would also help to know exactly how large your plugins folder is.

[daderic888 216]

Hi rsc204

Thanks for that.

The only things in my plugin folder are the Olympic Terrain Mod and Coastal Modd 2009 by Rivit.

I uninstalled the NAM Version 34 along with the Traffic Controller.

I also deleted all the files that are not SC4Model, SC4Desc, SC4Lot and .dat files.

I'll have to see how large the Plugins file is as it is at the moment.

I only have Simcity 4 Deluxe related stuff in my computer like GMAX / SC4 Bat, Lot Editor, Plugins Manager, Startup Manager

I will also check the CPU type and speed to see where it's at. Also the RAM.

[daderic888 216]

Hi twalsh102,

Thanks for that, I'll give this SC4Launcher a go.

I haven't had this problem on this computer before.

There's hardly anything on it aside from some Simcity 4 Deluxe related stuff as mentioned in my last reply to rsc204 and the Olympic Terrain Mod and Rivit's Coastal Modd 2009.

[rsc204 21,869]

If you have virtually nothing to actually load, there is no reason for this delay.

In which case, more than likely the application is crashing. From your description you are not having problems making it to the region selection screen? Just loading a city tile. What happens if you load a blank/new region/city? Does that work OK? Or one of the other tutorial cities, do they work?

Also, you mention recently having to start over, did you restore old Regions when you installed the game? Or are these just the defaults that come with the game?

[daderic888 216]

Hi rsc204,

Yep that's right, I can make it to the default region view ok. It's when I go to load the tutorial city tile and a blank city tile, that it takes quite a while to load.

I restored the computer back to factory settings so everything was wiped.

The only regions I have at the moment are the default ones that come with the game.

Should I just uninstall everything including SC4Mapper etc and reinstall them?

[rsc204 21,869]

Well you mentioned before it was taking over 45 minutes, I can't envisage a scenario where that was normal, except where the game took a similarly long time to get to the region view screen. Most likely the game will never start, it's simply locked up, which is like a crash, but one where things just freeze.

I don't think you should uninstall anything right now, because if it's a new PC, everything should be cleanly installed. I know you've pretty much said you've done this already, but just to be certain, for the time being, remove any and all mods/add-ons from the Plugins folders. Until the game is loading, having such files will just complicate matters.

As the issue is affecting both a blank new city and a installed tutorial city, I think we can eliminate the save files themselves being the cause of the problem. That means that the #1 suspect is now your graphics card. What you need to do is switch to software rendering and see if that fixes things. From the region view menu, there is a little settings icon in the top right, find Graphics Properties and change the Renderer to software if it isn't already. You have to close the game and run it once more for this change to occur. Let us know if this works, because even if it does, you are better off if you can make the game work with Hardware Rendering.

[daderic888 216]

Beauty!

Thanks for that rsc204!

It did the trick! :-)

Should I run the game in its default state for a bit? Then set it to hardware rendering? Then afterwards install the mods which I deleted and go from there?

You're a legend mate!

[rsc204 21,869]

Well, as I said, it's not so much a fix, as a compatibility mode for when all else fails.

Running software rendering literally means that your CPU (processor) is now having to also do the work of the GPU (graphics card). This leads to a much inferior experience, less visual clarity and slower running in-game. These things may or may not be something you care about.

You should be safe to re-install any mods at this point. But, before you continue, there are a couple of things you can try to force hardware rendering to work. I would advise looking through this thread on setting up your graphics card for SC4:

It's also perhaps worth looking to update/change the revision of your graphics driver. Generally speaking, the latest is usually best, but if that's not working, sometimes an older driver would be preferable.

In the event that you can not make Hardware Rendering work, you should not re-enable it. This is a sign of some incompatibility between your graphics and SC4, exactly why software rendering exists as a last resort.

[daderic888 216]

Hi rsc204,

I noticed something while I was working on fixing this issue.

I went to reinstall the NAM 34 and there was a pop-up menu regarding Java. I downloaded and installed Java and then went to reinstall NAM 34. On this occasion, it installed successfully with one difference, the Controller Compiler was running. I then installed the associated Traffic Simulator and then (after installing Java) it prompted me to configure the Traffic Simulator and I set it what I wanted. It didn't do this prior to installing NAM 34.

I installed the Olympic Terrain Mod along with the Tree Controller and the RVT Coastal Mod 2009.

Now I have had the same issue regarding the loading of the city tile (the region view is ok).

I uninstalled the mods and then I am able to load the city tile.

An update: The city tile does not load with the terrain mod installed. I deleted the terrain mod and installed NAM 34 and the city tile loads.

The city tile also loads ok with RVT Coastal Mod 2009.

My hard drive has 8GB of RAM and the CPU has 3.10GHz. It runs on a 64-bit Operating System.

Is it advisable to reconfigure the graphics card according to what you attached in your previous reply?

Any other tips please mate?

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

It is definitely a recommended step configuring the game for modern hardware. One of the problems is that the graphics cards launched after the game was released, especially in the last 8-10 years, don't fit with the games expected naming conventions for them so the game defaults to safety mode, treats them like slower inferior cards and everything grinds to a halt.

[CorinaMarie 29,934]

8 hours ago, daderic888 said:

The city tile does not load with the terrain mod installed.

I tested this one: CPT OlympicTerrain Mod1 (v1.0) Is that the one you are referring to?

The description has this warning: "CRASH ALERT!: You must have both of the following files installed when using this mod or the game will crash to the desktop when you try to open a city."

Did you install the two dependencies?

• CPT No3 Terrain Textures (v1.0)
• CPT No4 Terrain Textures (v1.0)

I tried it in both hardware and software rendering and it worked both ways. I had it as the only mod installed for this test. Edit: Correction. I also had some of @Mary Maurine Mayo's farms installed, but that doesn't affect this test.

 

Then with regard to the video card tweaking, check out your config-log.txt file after running the game. It's located in your equivalent of C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps folder. (That's where it is in XP. Yours will likely be Program Files with (x86) somewhere in the name.) Anyhow, the file is named with your computer name followed by the -config-log.txt.

Here's the relevant part of mine:

Spoiler

Rules
-----
applying Sound
applying high sound detail
applying City Detail and Day/Night Settings
applying City Detail and Day/Night Settings>
applying high computer power
  option 9 = 3
  option 13 = 1
  option 15 = 3
applying Texture Quality and Building Variety Settings
applying Texture Quality and Building Variety Settings>
applying high memory
  option 3 = 3
  option 14 = 3
applying Variable Speed Automata
applying default
  option 10 = 1
applying Standard hardware
  option 0 = 1
  option 1 = 1
  option 2 = 1
  option 4 = 0
  option 5 = 1
  option 8 = 1
  option 7 = 1
  option 6 = 1
  option 11 = 0
  option 12 = 0
applying Standard hardware>
  option 1 = 2
applying Standard hardware>>
  option 0 = 2
applying Standard hardware>>>
  option 2 = 2
applying Standard hardware>>>>
  option 4 = 1
applying Standard hardware>>>>>
  option 11 = 1
applying Two stages
applying Lotsa vidmem
applying Not Slow GeForce
applying Fast card
applying Fast card>
  option 12 = 1
applying Fast card>>
  option 1 = 3
applying Fast card>>>
  option 0 = 3
applying Fast card>>>>
  option 2 = 3
applying Fast card>>>>>
  option 4 = 1

Options
-------
Visual Effects       current:   3 recommended:   3
Cars/Sims            current:   3 recommended:   3
Shadows              current:   1 recommended:   3
Atmospheric effects  current:   0 recommended:   1
Water effects        current:   1 recommended:   1
Software/Hardware    current:   1 recommended:   1
Cursor               current:   1 recommended:   1
VariableSpeedAutomata current:   1 recommended:   1
Translucent UI       current:   1 recommended:   1
Graphic Detail       current:   3 recommended:   3
Building Load Speed  current:   3 recommended:   3
Texture Quality      current:   3 recommended:   3

 

Mainly you are looking for those parts that say "applying Fast card>>>" to let you know you are running in hardware rendering mode. (At least that's what I think that means.)

[rsc204 21,869]

My advice on setting up SC4 is simple, if with the game set to hardware rendering, everything runs, don't mess with it. But if you can only run Software Rendering, I would try to get the machine working with Hardware Rendering, it's worth the effort IMO.

For the moment, follow Corina's advice regarding the terrain mod and report back. It's worth being careful to keep the two matters separate. Because trying to change many things at once is unhelpful at best. Your rendering choice shouldn't effect correct operation of this terrain mod. Only HD-Terrain (or beach, rock / water / etc.) mods require Hardware Rendering to work, due to the fact that software rendering cannot display the higher-res textures they contain.

[daderic888 216]

Hi guys,

Thanks heaps for everything, the issues have been resolved and it's now running on hardware rendering.

The terrain mod issues have been fixed as I forgot about the 2 dependencies that were required. Thanks CorinaMarie.

Now to render a new region using CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+R

I used this method a few years ago when rendering the same region and it went ok:

I'm using the greyscale bmp and the config bmp which has only large city tiles as it is completely blue. The relative greyscale is 2091x2091.

It's saying that the city region is too large and needs to be something like 691x691.

Um, something went weird, I have small & medium size city tiles as well as large city tiles and the terrain looks awful.

I don't get it. Any tips or ideas please? 

I used SC4 Mapper by Wanganouine (I think that's how you spell it) and it turned out better.

[CorinaMarie 29,934]

On 9/19/2016 at 10:41 PM, daderic888 said:

It's saying that the city region is too large and needs to be something like 691x691.

That suggested size doesn't compute out. Are you sure that's what it said? The way the game does its calculation for the grayscale size is it looks at the pixel width and height of the config.bmp and then does some simple math. Check out this thread:

So even your grayscale of 2091x2091 isn't one of the sizes it likes. 2091 - 1 = 2090 and 2090 / 64 = 32.65625 That answer needs to be an integer.

Let's say you want your region to be 8 large tiles wide by 8 large tiles tall. Each large tile needs to be 4 x 4 pixels in config.bmp. So, 4 pixels times the 8 large tiles wide = 32. With the same height that means your config.bmp would be 32 x 32 pixels and all painted blue. From there we calculate the size the grayscale needs to be as 32 * 64 = 2048 + 1 = 2049.

I was working on a table to give a quick at-a-glance representation of this for my map tutorial which @Cyclone Boom said he would use admin tools to embed it if I could make it HTML. (I haven't figured that out yet.) But, even tho it's cluttered and I'm not happy with it, here's my first draft of said table:

And, ofc, you can have small, medium, and large tiles (red, green, blue) in your config.bmp. Let's say I want 4 large tiles surrounded by a ring of medium tiles and then surrounded by a ring of small tiles. Counting across the middle it would be 1 pixel for the red, 2 pixels for the green, 8 pixels for the two blue, 2 pixels for the green, and 1 pixel for the red which adds up to 14. Height being the same in this example means my config.bmp would be 14 x 14 pixels. Then 14 * 64 = 896 + 1 = 897 so my grayscale would need to be 897 x 897 to make the game happy.

Edit:

On 9/19/2016 at 10:41 PM, daderic888 said:

Um, something went weird, I have small & medium size city tiles as well as large city tiles ...

If you are getting various size tiles when you had an all blue config.bmp then this indicates the game was not looking at your config.bmp. If the suggested size for the grayscale was 1025 x 1025 then we could assume it was looking at a default random made config.bmp like when you create a new region in the game. And that does have a mixture of small, medium, and large tiles.

 

[Hellken 1,658]

Could you upload your config.bmp and a screenshot of your region? The above post is in the right track. Your config.bmp is confusing your game.

Integer required for the length/width of a map required for the greyscale = (64n) + 1

where n is the "Number of pixels on a side of the map"

Number of pixels on a side of the map = 4L + 2M + 1S where L, M, and S are the city sizes Large, Medium, and Small respectuvely.

A Large City has 4 pixels per side. A Medium City has 2 pixels per side. A Small City has 1 pixel per side.

 

 

  Edited September 20, 2016 by Hellken  
misquote

[daderic888 216]

Thanks CorinaMarie & Hellken,

I found it weird that it said it needs to be 691x691 as I successfully rendered the same region using CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+R with the same config on the same computer before I had it factory resetted and the computer was set back to the way that I had it when I bought it. Unfortunately I don't have a screenshot of the region as it was a few days ago because I binned it.

I'm now using Wouanagaine's (Um, is that how you spell it?) SC4 Mapper to render the regions that I want and it has run smoothly so far.