Prepping my First Region

[matias93 7,535]

Wow, that looks professional!

About the sound walls, it depends on how they are modded: for the game, visual, air and sound pollution are the same thing, and they cause the commercial demand to increase locally while dampening the residential demand. What you did there with trees is a very easy and effective measure against pollution indeed, but some sound walls could be effective too, if they are modded like parks (i.e. having a negative air pollution factor). Most surely, their creator will state those characteristics on the description of the file, but you can check it with the ilives Reader if you are interested on poking around and opening things.

[That Retro Guy 321]

1 hour ago, jeffryfisher said:

When you get iLives Reader 1.54

 

On 2/7/2018 at 9:04 AM, matias93 said:

but you can check it with the ilives Reader 

 

It sounds like you two are dropping a hint . . .

 

 

1 hour ago, jeffryfisher said:

BTW, What net are the ramps built on? Do they use the same dirt-road net as RHW, or are they streets or roads?

I used RHW pieces for the entire ramp.  I think that I used B1 for the actual ramp.

 

On 2/7/2018 at 3:50 AM, rsc204 said:

When deleting parts of a RHW with connections and the like, it's safer to use the RHW Disconnecter tool.

Now that I have my Interchange, it's time to tweak it a bit.  When I select the RHW Disconnector tool, I delete the tile that has Highway and the start of the ramp, right?  Then what? Drag Highway for the length of the exit lane?

[matias93 7,535]

Let's say that the SC4 community has two Swiss Army knives at it's disposal: the iLives Reader for modifying plugins and the RHW disconnector to fix networking errors in-game. You are finding them both at once, and they'll change your gaming experience for sure

 

[That Retro Guy 321]

I searched for iLives Reader 1.54, but all I found was 1.4  If I download it, is there a way to patch it to 1.54?  Or should I keep looking?

[CorinaMarie 29,862]

1 hour ago, That Retro Guy said:

I searched for iLives Reader 1.54,

It's very well hidden.

Go to this post on Devotion. Then click the v1.5.4 linky at the start of it. (There's another linky at the end which is the source code. You don't need that unless you want to compile it yourself.) It's going to need like 3 (iirc) external DLL files too. Those you can find via Google searching. Be cautious because the various sites that have them try to trick you with a million false linkys. Look for one that simply says: Download this file. (Or such.)

[That Retro Guy 321]

I just noticed something . . . I know this game is a simulation and not real life, but check this out:

 

 

So when the Avenue has the green light (like in the pic), there's no stoplight signal for the on/off-ramps.  That area could get quite messy.  Is there a way to fix this?

[CorinaMarie 29,862]

10 minutes ago, That Retro Guy said:

That area could get quite messy.

Maybe use the @Thin White Duke method (from the oddities thread).

And as @rsc204 posted there:

It's a safety feature, it'd work better than any give way sign you might care to put there

 

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

19 hours ago, That Retro Guy said:

there's no stoplight signal for the on/off-ramps

Did you rotate the view to see if there's something on the pole but hidden from your angle?

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

@CorinaMarieI would most definitely recommend the patented Dual Pop Stop Puncture Junction 45 000 (TM) for this situation. Of course, it would cost a small fee. Legalities.

[rsc204 21,862]

21 hours ago, That Retro Guy said:

So when the Avenue has the green light (like in the pic), there's no stoplight signal for the on/off-ramps.  That area could get quite messy.  Is there a way to fix this?

2 hours ago, jeffryfisher said:

Did you rotate the view to see if there's something on the pole but hidden from your angle?

It's not there, because DirtRoad, the network RHW is based upon doesn't work with stoplights. However, recent efforts with FTL-based setups are working around this limitation, although no such RHW setups are yet available that utilise it. It's a similar story for OWR's as well, although basic support for them has been in place since NAM34, although it doesn't work simply by using the OWR tool, you must manually convert them to signalised intersections.

[That Retro Guy 321]

2 hours ago, rsc204 said:

you must manually convert them to signalised intersections.

How do I do this?

[rsc204 21,862]

See this video for a demonstration of the OWR SITAP in use (2:43 onwards):

 

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

22 hours ago, rsc204 said:

DirtRoad, the network RHW is based upon doesn't work with stoplights.

Idea: Can dirt roads be told to put stop signs where they T into roads and avenues (but not where they merge at an angle)? Can we tell the various roads and avenues to NOT place stop-lights where ramps (dirt roads) hit them? If both of those could be done, then ramps could end in stop signs where cross-traffic doesn't stop.

[rsc204 21,862]

Stop signs, stop lights, all these things are basically handled by T21s. You can add any props to any network piece within certain limitations. The key here is that the paths must have valid, working stop points in order for the animated lights to correctly sync with each other and automata. That's why stop lights were never included on the RHW sections, because they'd likely just sit on green for eternity. It's also why the OWR Signalisation needs segments of road to be introduced into OWR junctions. Because only by adding road paths, will such stop points work as intended.

Are we going to add these T21s for stop signs to all the intersections, I suspect not, but there's no technical reason why you couldn't.

[RobertLM78 1,598]

On 2/11/2018 at 5:08 PM, rsc204 said:

See this video for a demonstration of the OWR SITAP in use (2:43 onwards):

That, is bad-a$$.... !!  That's been bothering me for some time now... wish I'd come across that ability sooner.   

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me fixing the lorry load of intersections already in my region.  

Thanks @rsc204 

[That Retro Guy 321]

Here's how MySim is doing . . .

 

 

Man, this sucker is old! 

 

I thought Retro was old before . . . LOOK AT THIS!

 

 

At age 98, the game announced that Retro had achieved Senior status.  98?!!  Isn't someone considered a Senior at age 65?  Retro is starting to complain about not being able to get out of his chair, so I think that the end is nigh.  He's spent the last couple of months visiting his former workplace (for some reason).

[That Retro Guy 321]

Well, the inevitable has happened . . .

 

Happily, Retro the 2nd takes over . . .

 

I know that children get a percentage of their parents' Education but jeez!  Retro 2 starting out with a 200 Education?!!  Holy cow!

As you can see, the first thing that Retro 2 did was demand a school closer to home.  I gave it to him, what the heck.

[That Retro Guy 321]

On 2/9/2018 at 3:02 PM, matias93 said:

for the game, visual, air and sound pollution are the same thing, and they cause the commercial demand to increase locally while dampening the residential demand.

So I should actually surround my Residential Zones with the walls to keep them happy, right?

 

On 2/11/2018 at 7:08 PM, rsc204 said:

See this video for a demonstration of the OWR SITAP in use (2:43 onwards)

Thanks for the link and the video, @rsc204, it was very helpful, but with my interchange, the ramps (built with RHW) are intersecting with the Avenue.  Is there any way to fix this intersection that you know of?

[CorinaMarie 29,862]

6 hours ago, That Retro Guy said:

I know that children get a percentage of their parents' Education but jeez!  Retro 2 starting out with a 200 Education?!!  Holy cow!

I believe the next generation of MySim gets 80% of the parent's EQ. That'd be 160. If that applies to a birth age and then the influence of all other city education gets calculated as additions up to Retro the 2nd's age of 35 then the 200 seems right. (I'm only guessing on this latter part tho.)

[matias93 7,535]

9 hours ago, That Retro Guy said:

So I should actually surround my Residential Zones with the walls to keep them happy, right?

It would work (provided the walls of your choose have the effect) but it would look strange, like an overkill gated community:

It's not like you shouldn't do it if that's the effect you want to get, but I suspect that your objectives are a bit less dystopian...

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

3 hours ago, matias93 said:

overkill gated community:

Wow, I wonder what slick sales pitch is used to describe those balcony views into the unpaved warren of the low-rent district!

[blade2k5 1,523]

16 hours ago, That Retro Guy said:

I thought Retro was old before . . . LOOK AT THIS!

 

 

At age 98, the game announced that Retro had achieved Senior status.  98?!!  Isn't someone considered a Senior at age 65?  Retro is starting to complain about not being able to get out of his chair, so I think that the end is nigh.  He's spent the last couple of months visiting his former workplace (for some reason).

Here in the U.S. it was 55, but that was at least a decade or so ago, don't know if that's changed or not.  Would be my luck that it would have been bumped higher now that I'm about 17 months from turning 55.  I might not live to 65 with my bad heart and all.

By the way, how do you do what you're showing with this Retro 1 and 2?  A dummy wants to know

[That Retro Guy 321]

1 hour ago, blade2k5 said:

By the way, how do you do what you're showing with this Retro 1 and 2?  A dummy wants to know

1.  While in-game (obviously), click on the MySims icon (that's the third of the large icons:  God Mode, Mayor Mode, and the MySims Mode).

2.  If you haven't already done so, create a MySim and place him/her in your city.

3.  You should now see your Sim in one of the 5 spots (you can have up to 5 MySims per city).

4.  Click on the MySims face, and the window that you see in my post above appears.

5.  Click the middle button (the head's profile as shown above), and all of the information appears.

6.  Take a photo with the in-game photo tool, or (do what I do), press PrintScreen on your keyboard.  Save your City (very important!) and Exit.

7.  Go into Windows Paint and Ctrl-V (paste) the image into the program if you used the PrintScreen button.  Otherwise, open your image normally.

8.  Since I was concentrating on the information window, I cropped the image so only the information Window was left.  Save as a .png file.

9.  I'm sure you know how to make a post on Simtropolis, so start a post and click the 'Choose Files' link at the bottom.

10.  Find your saved cropped image on your computer, and click 'Open'.  You'll have to wait a few seconds for the image to load.

11.  After the image is completely loaded, you must click the '+' sign on the bottom left of the image to insert it into your post.

12.  If you're going to continue typing after the image, click on the outside of the image box at the lower right.  Hit 'Enter'.  Your cursor should be on the next line after the image.

13.  Finish typing, and hit 'Submit Reply', and you're done! 

 

1 hour ago, blade2k5 said:

now that I'm about 17 months from turning 55.

Well, I'm about 9 days from turning 55.  Getting old sucks!  Thank God we have games like SimCity4 Deluxe to stimulate our minds and keep us young at heart, no? 

[blade2k5 1,523]

1 hour ago, That Retro Guy said:

1.  While in-game (obviously), click on the MySims icon (that's the third of the large icons:  God Mode, Mayor Mode, and the MySims Mode).

2.  If you haven't already done so, create a MySim and place him/her in your city.

3.  You should now see your Sim in one of the 5 spots (you can have up to 5 MySims per city).

4.  Click on the MySims face, and the window that you see in my post above appears.

5.  Click the middle button (the head's profile as shown above), and all of the information appears.

6.  Take a photo with the in-game photo tool, or (do what I do), press PrintScreen on your keyboard.  Save your City (very important!) and Exit.

7.  Go into Windows Paint and Ctrl-V (paste) the image into the program if you used the PrintScreen button.  Otherwise, open your image normally.

8.  Since I was concentrating on the information window, I cropped the image so only the information Window was left.  Save as a .png file.

9.  I'm sure you know how to make a post on Simtropolis, so start a post and click the 'Choose Files' link at the bottom.

10.  Find your saved cropped image on your computer, and click 'Open'.  You'll have to wait a few seconds for the image to load.

11.  After the image is completely loaded, you must click the '+' sign on the bottom left of the image to insert it into your post.

12.  If you're going to continue typing after the image, click on the outside of the image box at the lower right.  Hit 'Enter'.  Your cursor should be on the next line after the image.

13.  Finish typing, and hit 'Submit Reply', and you're done! 

 

Well, I'm about 9 days from turning 55.  Getting old sucks!  Thank God we have games like SimCity4 Deluxe to stimulate our minds and keep us young at heart, no? 

Wow!  Thanks.  I think I saw that years ago when I first started playing the game, but thought it was adding in your Sims from that other Sim game (for the life of me, the name escapes me) where you created Sims and played around with their daily lives.  Guess the old saying still rings true today, your learn something new every day.

Getting old doesn't bother me all that much, just the fact I've lived with an enlarged heart I never knew about, doctors never discovered until two and a half years ago.  Plus high blood pressure.  Everything is cools now, got both conditions under control, got my heartbeat down to 60-65/minutes, it shrunk back down to normal size on med for it + the high blood pressure that I'll have to take for the rest of my life.  I'm lucky to still be breathing oxygen since my cardiologist told me I should have had a massive heart attack while I still in my twenties.  And believe me, I've led an extremely stressful life, surprised I didn't have that heart attack.  I don't remember exactly when the first version of SimCity came out, but I've been hooked on this ever since, and looking at maybe getting Skylines and giving that a whirl.

 

[CorinaMarie 29,862]

46 minutes ago, blade2k5 said:

I think I saw that years ago when I first started playing the game, but thought it was adding in your Sims from that other Sim game (for the life of me, the name escapes me) where you created Sims and played around with their daily lives.

Sounds like you are describing The Sims. There's like 4 versions of that game. You can import a MySim from the Sims 1. There's some hoops to jump thru that I've not tried. I just use the mod from the STEX and alter the image file.

Spoiler

 

[RobertLM78 1,598]

1 hour ago, CorinaMarie said:

You can import a MySim from the Sims 1

I figured that is how it is done .   I'd probably use the MySim function more often if I had Sims 1.... if nothing else just to see how a sim manages to get around and likes things.

[CorinaMarie 29,862]

1 minute ago, RobertLM78 said:

I'd probably use the MySim function more often if I had Sims 1

Really the only thing it imports is Name, Zodiac Sign, and Image so there's really nothing to be gained. So, feel free to just select one of the proffered Sims within SC4.

[catty-cb 4,412]

1 hour ago, CorinaMarie said:

Really the only thing it imports is Name, Zodiac Sign, and Image so there's really nothing to be gained. So, feel free to just select one of the proffered Sims within SC4.

And if you have the Sims pets then you end up with lots of cats and dogs living in your city 

[blade2k5 1,523]

20 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

Sounds like you are describing The Sims. There's like 4 versions of that game. You can import a MySim from the Sims 1. There's some hoops to jump thru that I've not tried. I just use the mod from the STEX and alter the image file.

  Cori as MySim (Reveal hidden contents)

 

Bingo.  That's it.  I never played it, that's why the name escaped me.

[djash1000 37]

On 01/02/2018 at 6:10 AM, That Retro Guy said:

I have decided to begin building my Region in City C.  It's a small map which (once developed) will hopefully help build Cities B + D.  (Technically, City A will be first so City C will have Power, Water, and Garbage Services.  I'm not really planning on developing Cities A + E, but maybe I will.  I have the straight edge coastline built, and it's ready for beaches.

Now what I need is a step-by-step tutorial about how to properly build an RHW highway through City C.  Since it's a small map, I'd like to have 2 lanes going in each direction with room for ramps to connect to the roads, avenues, etc.  Basically, it'll connect Cities B + D together.  In Cities B + D, I'd like 3 or 4 lanes in each direction (haven't decided yet . . . probably 4).

I've been playing around on a blank map trying to build an RHW, but I can never get the ramps and overpasses right.

All help is greatly appreciated (Oh, I'm using NAM 36 just so you know).

Yes, the ring road I thought was good idea. I built this around 12 cities when I was building a nation last time. It took ages, as it cost a fortune! (and probably doesn't/won't work either, but I like the idea of it!)

 

see picture:

 

 

to the left also has loads of things now that I can see need repair work...

the obvious one, being the the elevated railway not matching in the above one...

 

on the left I need to work on this.

fantastic! first time I've played this game in 10 years or so, and just got it back!