SimCity 4 Startup Problems

[redindus 5]

Yesterday I asked for refund on Steam for SimCity 4 Deluxe and 19.99 is too much. But however I do have the box version that is not Deluxe and I think I got this from Amazon last year for a friend. But she didn't know how to get it running. Forgot to mention the reasons I bought it from Steam so I can play that North American Regions and had to download the mapper in order for it to work and finally got it setup, but didn't like it due to scale is way too small compare to real terrain. I did though about playing off the stock region as New York, if goes well I could make another region and connect to it, etc.

 

Instead of buying another one, is there a way I can get this up running? Box Version with two cds in it and didn't realize you gotta have the disk in the drive to work. And after installed, it simply does nothing. So did so many options as a admin, compatible mode, etc. Even in 16bit color enabled, still doesn't do anything. Wasn't sure if that thing even install DirectX 9.0c. But I am pretty sure my pc has DirectX 9.0c cause I been playing some older games.

 

Anyway my pc spec is Wins 8.1 64x, the rest is fine.

[Propfam 2,310]

Have you updated your Windows? If yes, you might have installed an update that disables SafeDisc from running (I'm forgot the update code because the post have been "hidden" since 2016). SafeDisc is a software to disallow unauthorized disc duplication for Windows apps and games. Because of security reason, Microsoft decided to completely remove it on Windows 10 and disable it on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Because you're using Windows 8.1, then follow this guide down below:

https://www.howtogeek.com/230773/how-to-play-pc-games-that-require-safedisc-or-securom-drm-on-windows-10-8.1-8-7-and-vista/

My recommendation is to moving to Linux if you can. Because, there is a surprise for you: Steam is now supporting Windows games on Linux! To enable the feature, it's easy. Just follow this guide and run the game you have. I've using Linux for years now and there's no problem aside from the minor ones. Thanks.

[redindus 5]

Eww really? didn't realize that can hang a lot of programs such as games, even the older games will upset a lot of people out there. What was Microsoft thinking? I can understand the issues with security threats, etc. But they need to be more creative and how to deal with issues like this and securities.

 

Anyway thanks for replying, gonna check it out. If I cant get this fix, gonna go ahead and buy the damn thing, since it is 19.99, way too much for my opinion, wish they had it on sale or wait for it. Just asked Steam for refund and they already did lol.

 

Hmm that will give me something to decide, one thing I didn't like having the cd in the drive all the time while playing it silly, wearing down your cd/dvd drive for no reasons. But in this case, I am better off buying that SC4 Deluxe from Steam. Least I know I wont run into serious security issues, esp if I forgot to turn off that commands.

[CorinaMarie 29,900]

There's another variation of how to get around the SafeDisc problem here. And Steam does sometimes put the game on sale for $5.99 (or so). Another option is the GoG version which goes on sale two or three times per year for $4.99.

[redindus 5]

3 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

There's another variation of how to get around the SafeDisc problem here. And Steam does sometimes put the game on sale for $5.99 (or so). Another option is the GoG version which goes on sale two or three times per year for $4.99.

Thanks Corina, yeah I looked up on GoG too, they also want 19.99 as well. Didn't want to buy the box version. Anyway I gonna wait until it is on sale. I can mess around with Cities XXL and Cities Skyline. But not too comfortable with Skyline and I like Cities XXL better. Dunno why there negative reviews there. Was hoping there is a scenario or dlc so you can play back in 1900's to the future. That old SimCity had it, but I couldn't stand the old horrible graphics.

[CorinaMarie 29,900]

11 minutes ago, redindus said:

Hmm that will give me something to decide, one thing I didn't like having the cd in the drive all the time while playing it silly, wearing down your cd/dvd drive for no reasons.

The wear and tear on the CD is minor. It checks it one time at start up and doesn't peek at the CD again for the whole playing session.

Still, I do agree getting Steam or GoG is the best way to go for whatever security reasons there are with SafeDisc. One thing to know is the digital version from Origin is not fully patched and cannot be patched.

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

This is a duplicate thread. I gave the answer yesterday in the other thread.

[Cyclone Boom 17,032]

5 hours ago, redindus said:

I looked up on GoG too, they also want 19.99 as well. Didn't want to buy the box version. Anyway I gonna wait until it is on sale.

The GOG version really is the go-to digital edition from everything I've heard about it.

In terms of game functionality, both the Steam and GOG editions of SC4 are absolutely identical. They are each equally digital versions which come pre-patched as 1.1.641.0. This includes the EP1 plus the nightlights update, meaning it's equivalent to when said patches are applied to the disc based game. Steam however does have the game wrapped in a layer of its own copy protection, and may require the client application (game launcher) to be run. Though I've heard it may be possible to start the game directly and bypass this. GOG has the advantage of being completely DRM free, meaning it's never dependent on an internet connection to validate the startup.

So when it does come on sale, I would highly recommend the GOG version. It can be considered "future-proofed" in that it does everything the original CD game does by running standalone, yet does away with the SafeDisc copy protection. Therefore it's able to run on modern systems without relying on workarounds.

Based on the price history, it seems most likely the next $4.99 sale will be towards the back end of November (corresponding with Black Friday). Keep checking back regularly though, as sometimes they run spot sales on selected items without prior notice, not just limited to seasonal events.

A little something to keep in mind...

GOG does have something called "Galaxy" which is a local client application used to manage all purchased games. In a similar way to Steam, from there with an internet connection it's possible to install, update, and run any from within. While this might not be a bad idea if having a large library of titles, it terms of SC4 it'll be easier to configure things like shortcut parameters by downloading the installer separately and setting up the game from there.

Once purchased from their website, the game is added to one's library. Then there's an enticing big blue button, and also a somewhat hidden dropdown menu.

As follows:

 

Upon expanding this, it allows the 1.1 GB installer to be downloaded directly:

Then upon setup, it should provide the default installation structure without needing to depend on starting SC4 through GOG Galaxy.

So just something to consider if/when you get that far.

(As an aside, if purchasing at GOG from our affiliate link, Simtropolis will receive a small sales commission from the purchase price.)

[redindus 5]

Cool thank you guys, I will keep in mind about that.