NAM 37 Now Available

[Tarkus 6,932]

The NAM Team is pleased to announce the official public release of the 37th edition of the Network Addon Mod, NAM 37.

Note that, if you are coming from NAM 36 or earlier, this version has major, substantial changes in terms of file architecture and installation procedure.

NAM 37 marks the official introduction of the NAM's new cross-platform Java-based installer, designed by daeley.  Please ensure that you have the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed.

Download Link

STEX (Cross-Platform)

Release Notes

Note that the NTCore 4GB Patch is REQUIRED, and due to the installer change, is no longer installed by default. Failure to patch the game accordingly may cause Crash-to-Desktop (CTD) errors.

The patch can be found inside the download, or downloaded directly from NTCore here, where further instructions on use of the patch can be found. Also due to this installer change, the NAM Controller Compiler is no longer run as part of the installation process. All users will be initially given a full NAM Controller, which has a substantial size. Users not using all features wishing to have a smaller controller can still run the Controller Compiler manually, as it is available in the download.

The NAM is also now using a Java-based installer, designed by daeley, which is cross-platform (meaning no more separate Mac versions, and Linux support without WINE). As such, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is now REQUIRED to run the NAM installer. It was previous recommended for users wishing to utilize the NAM Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool (TSCT). The JRE can be downloaded from Oracle here.

With the new installer, the old NAM installation is no longer removed automatically, so users should manually remove the "Network Addon Mod" and "z___NAM" folders from their Plugins directory. It is recommended, particularly with this Release Candidate, that you back those folders up in a location that is not in your Plugins folder. The "z___NAM" folder has been eliminated, and all files are now installed to the "Network Addon Mod" directory.

The RealRailway (RRW) standard for Rail is now the default and only option. The original Maxis Rail specification will be supported via a Legacy Plugin, downloaded separately. Also note that a number of cosmetic-oriented NAM plugins, such as the El-Rail Alternate Implementation, the Bullet Train Mod, and some advanced texture options (largely deprecated) have been removed from the installer. The Alternate El-Rail and BTM will be made available separately. Please note that, much like Maxis Rail, these Plugins are effectively in "Legacy" status, and may not be actively maintained or supported by the NAM Team going forward. Both the original Maxis Highways (MHW) and the "Maxis Highway Override/Project Symphony" (MHO) remain available.

The Station Locator, Updater, and Reconstruction Project (SLURP) is also no longer handled by the new installer. A scaled down version of the old installer will be made at a later date to handle SLURP routines. Users wishing to retain SLURPed stations should retrieve them from the "z___NAM\Mass Transit Lots\Station Overrides" folder in their existing NAM installation, where they will be found in the "Mass Transit Lots" subfolder. Note that users running the 64-bit version of SimCity 4 on macOS may wish to refrain from retrieving SLURP stations, as there have been some encoding issues with stations that cause that version of the game to CTD.

The new installer also no longer performs a version check. Please note, however, that for Windows users, Version 1.1.638 and above are still required, as Versions 1.1.610 and 1.1.613 have notable instabilities that may have a significant negative impact on the use of this mod. Copies purchased from the Origin Store may still not meet this requirement, and support will not be offered to users with "unofficial" copies of the game.

Features List

• The NAM has switched over to a new Java-based installer designed by <strong>daeley</strong>, with cross-platform support for any operating system that supports
  the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
• The RealHighway (RHW) system has undergone a massive code overhaul ("Mark IV"), greatly improving stability, especially in compact situations.  Diagonal x Diagonal (DxD) crossings (grade-separated) between wider RHW networks should now be possible in most situations.
• The RealRailway (RRW) system is now the default (and only) option for the Rail network.  Users wishing to retain the original Maxis Railshould download the separate Maxis Rail Legacy Plugin, when it becomes available.
• Various cosmetic/legacy plugins, such as the Bullet Train Mod (BTM) and El-Rail Alternate Implementation, are no longer directly available within the main NAM download, due to crosslink and support issues.  They will be available as separate downloads, as Legacy Plugins with no guarantee of support or further upgrades.
• An initial basic version of the RealExpressway (REW) mod is now available.
• A pathing issue affecting intersections with the Diagonal Streets Plugin, dating back to NAM 20 (!) has now been fixed (thanks to McDuell).
• RRW Fractional Angle and FlexTrack switch content can now be constructed using easier-to-use FLEX Pieces, rather than memorizing drag/draw patterns.  Some limited Fractional Angle elevated support is now available.
• The Road-based Single-Tile and Dual-Tile Network Widening Mod (NWM) networks now support Multi-Radius Curves (MRCs).  For the single-tile networks, override the base Road MRCs with the appropriate NWM network to convert them, and use the dedicated pieces for the dual-tile versions (the RD-6 uses an override of the TLA-5 version--place Road stubs to fill in the "bites" on the RD-6 R4 curve).
• L3 and L4 FLEXFly pieces are now available for the RHW.
• RHW FlexSPUI has been redesigned, with improved support for the current array of RHW networks.  Support for L0 and L2 is present (use the legacy TuLEP OnSlope to connect to the L2 version).
• Orthogonal TLA-3 and AVE-2 connections to the One-Way Road Roundabouts are now supported.
• Three new RHW FLEXRamps are now supported: Type D1-Inside (RHW-4 base), Type E1-Inside (RHW-4 base), and Type D1-Inside Dual Shift (RHW-6C base).
  Additionally, L1 and L2 support has been added to the Type A2 ramps for the RHW-8C and RHW-10S networks, and the L1 and L2 versions of the RHW-3 network now support Type A1 and B1 ramps.
• Various "tidal flow"-related pathing issues with the Draggable Elevated One-Way Road Viaducts have been addressed.
• File encoding issues with certain NAM files that have been known to cause crash-to-desktop (CTD) errors with Aspyr's new 64-bit macOS port of SimCity 4 (currently just the App Store version) have been fixed.
• A new bridge has been added for the NWM's NRD-4 network.

Changes since the NAM 37 Release Candidate of 23/24 April 2020

• The new FlexSPUI V2 now works properly in LHD mode.
• Drag pattern interference between the new draggable Road Small 90° Curve and the Road Long FA3 (71.6°) curve has been eliminated.
• Issues with various RHW and NWM bridges have been addressed, including the RHW-4 Small Steel Arch, the RHW-6S Concrete Arch Dual, and the NRD-4 Thru Truss.  The accidentally-omitted
  DDRHW-4 bridge has also (again) be re-added.
• Missing textures/paths on some RHW T-intersections involving diagonals have been addressed.
• New draggable Road curves (Small 90° and Small S) have received Euro texture support.
• Issues involving the L1 RHW-8C crossings over Avenue have been addressed.
• Pathing for the RHW-3-to-ARD-3 transition has been fixed.
• The texture for the OWR-3 x OWR-2 +-intersection has been rotated to the correct direction.
• Tidal flow issues with the Slip Lane functionality, causing paths to not function in certain directions (esp. in LHD) have been fixed.
• Various Euro texture issues with the RHW-8C Type D1 ramp have been fixed.
• The OWR-1-to-MIS transition has been fixed.
• Avenue-to-MIS transitions have been fixed.
• Both US and EU textures for the RHW-6C and 8C Type D1 Dual Shift Inside FLEXRamp have been fixed.
• Various fixes have been made to the RealRailway (RRW) network.
• Pathing fixes have been made to the draggable Wide-Radius Curve (WRC)/Multi-Radius Curve (MRC) and Fractional Angle (FA) functionality.
• TLA Center Turn Arrow cosmetic mod now installed as option under Texture and Drive Side options, fixing previous file architecture issues.
• Mac-only issues with GHSR network showing Monorail supports have been fixed.
• Some INRUL-based issues with the RRW FlexTrack system have been addressed, particularly with the J2 Turnout (Ortho-to-FARR-1.33/1.5).  Note that these changes have altered the availability of some drag patterns, and clicking on some existing switches may break them.  Such switches will need to be rebuilt using their FLEX Piece equivalent.
• Note that no new features have been added since the NAM 37 Release Candidate.  Addition of new content will resume with NAM 38 development.

Installation

When one initially opens the NAM package after downloading, there will be several items present, besides the document you are now reading: the installer itself is NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version37.jar. 

4gb_patch.exe is the NTCore 4GB Patch, the Controller Compiler folder contains the NAM Controller Compiler, the Documentation is loose in the folder (and in the "feature-guides", "images", and "old" folders--this has not been substantially updated since NAM 36, but will receive updates for the finalized NAM 37 release), and the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool folder, which contains the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool (TSCT).
            
NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version37.jar is the NAM Installer, which you will need to run to install the NAM.  If User Access Control (UAC) is enabled on your system, Windows may ask you to approve running the file with a simple "Yes"/"No" prompt.  Click "Yes" to allow the installer to run.
                        
In order to progress through the installer, simply click on each tab.  Note that the license agreement must be agreed to before subsequent tabs can be accessed.  The "Cleanup" tab (under "Setup") allows one to remove any residual files from old NAM releases, and pre-NAM transit mods that might cause conflicts, and is loaded with the old Cleanitol list that shipped with NAM 36.

Special Note to macOS Users
Due to some change Aspyr made with the new 64-bit update to the macOS version of SimCity 4, the process for cycling through TAB Rings/Menu Icons has changed.  In order to progress through the entire ring (without inexplicable skipping), use Ctrl-TAB instead of TAB to cycle forward, and Shift-Ctrl-TAB instead of Shift-TAB to cycle in reverse.

Upgrading from a Previous Version

If you are upgrading from a previous version of the NAM, MANUALLY MOVE YOUR OLD NAM INSTALLATION OUT FROM YOUR PLUGINS FOLDER, INTO A SAFE LOCATION (note that this has changed from previous NAM releases).  The NAM installer can no longer detect your previous installation options by reading the existing folder structure.  It is recommended that you check your existing installation, to determine which features you presently have installed.

Generally speaking, the NAM Team makes every effort to ensure that new versions at least retain some form of "legacy support", such that cities built with any previous NAM version will continue to function well with the latest version.

If you have consolidated your NAM files using a tool such as SC4DatPacker or JDatPacker, please read the note in the "Read First" document, which is also attached to this post.

This release is dedicated to David Edgren (dedgren) and his family--we wish you the best.

And thank you to all the members of the SC4 community for their patience, through this record-long development cycle, and for the continued support of the NAM Team, now in its 16th year of operation!

-The NAM Team

0-read-first-nam37.zip

Patches

5 July 2020 - INRUL patch to address reversion to pre-NAM behavior on Road x Road Diagonal x Diagonal intersections.  To install, replace the copy of NetworkAddonMod_IndividualNetworkRULs.dat in the Network Addon Mod\1_Core directory with the one included in NetworkAddonMod_IndividualNetworkRULs_NAM37_5Jul2020.zip

[mawendir 53]

I can't imagine playing SC4 without having NAM in my plugins folder. Probably almost every city that has been built by the community ever since SC4 exists has NAM and always will have and this is something hard to achieve but a huge success. Thank you NAM Team for all the efforts you guys have put into this game for so many years!

[BartonThinks 3,416]

If I could make a small suggestion: The installation instructions aren't particularly clear on how to install the 4 gb patch. I assumed the patch was already installed onto my game, since I've played with NAM 36 before, and I ran into a CTD issue each time I tried to open a city tile. The instructions don't actually specify which .exe file needs to be patched or where that file can be found. I was able to put 2+2 together, but if this isn't spelled out in the instructions, I think a lot of novice and less-computer-savvy users are going to have serious trouble with the installation.

The new features are all excellent, but between the patch issue and having to download an entirely different program (which requires registering an account with a company that demands a lot of personal information) just to use the installer, I feel like this version is going to be really off-putting for new users. I know the installer was its own issue from skimming some threads on SC4Devotion, and it's maybe not my place to criticize, but I found the installation process somewhat frustrating.

[Eggman121 1,035]

1 hour ago, BartonThinks said:

If I could make a small suggestion: The installation instructions aren't particularly clear on how to install the 4 gb patch. I assumed the patch was already installed onto my game, since I've played with NAM 36 before, and I ran into a CTD issue each time I tried to open a city tile. The instructions don't actually specify which .exe file needs to be patched or where that file can be found. I was able to put 2+2 together, but if this isn't spelled out in the instructions, I think a lot of novice and less-computer-savvy users are going to have serious trouble with the installation.

The new features are all excellent, but between the patch issue and having to download an entirely different program (which requires registering an account with a company that demands a lot of personal information) just to use the installer, I feel like this version is going to be really off-putting for new users. I know the installer was its own issue from skimming some threads on SC4Devotion, and it's maybe not my place to criticize, but I found the installation process somewhat frustrating.

To run the installer you only need the Java Runtime environment .

https://www.java.com/en/download/

No accounts need to be made if you are just using the redistribution software AFAIK however I think the License agreement has changed. As of April 16 2019.

An image of what the splash screen looks like is attached to this post.

If all goes well. Enjoy NAM 37

-eggman121 (NAM team Member)

[BartonThinks 3,416]

9 minutes ago, Eggman121 said:

To run the installer you only need the Java Runtime environment .

https://www.java.com/en/download/

No accounts need to be made if you are just using the redistribution software AFAIK however I think the License agreement has changed. As of April 16 2019.

An image of what the splash screen looks like is attached to this post.

If all goes well. Enjoy NAM 37

-eggman121 (NAM team Member)

Maybe it's just an issue in the documentation then? The "Read First" first page that comes with NAM 37 links to the following page in the "Requirements" section.

https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-jre8-downloads.html

If you try to download any of the files on this page, Oracle redirects you to a login screen. If you don't have an existing account, you need to create one before you can download the JRE from that page. When creating an account, Oracle asks for information like your phone number, employer, and job title. After you've created your account, you need to verify via email before you're able to use it. At that point, you need to go back to the download page, click the link again, log in, and only then can you download the JRE.

If there's another page where the JRE can be downloaded without all of these steps, I think that might be helpful.

[bunito 0]

I am so sad you changed to this install method.  Although I have used a computer for decades now and have installed mods for games forever, I cannot figure out how to get this to work and am giving up.

 

Sandra

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

21 minutes ago, bunito said:

I cannot figure out how to get this to work

I sense a YouTube video in our future, so don't give up, just be patient.

[Eggman121 1,035]

2 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

Maybe it's just an issue in the documentation then? The "Read First" first page that comes with NAM 37 links to the following page in the "Requirements" section.

https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-jre8-downloads.html

If you try to download any of the files on this page, Oracle redirects you to a login screen. If you don't have an existing account, you need to create one before you can download the JRE from that page. When creating an account, Oracle asks for information like your phone number, employer, and job title. After you've created your account, you need to verify via email before you're able to use it. At that point, you need to go back to the download page, click the link again, log in, and only then can you download the JRE.

If there's another page where the JRE can be downloaded without all of these steps, I think that might be helpful.

Good Pickup on the link. Did the link in the post work for you for just the simplified program?

We decided to change the installer to better reflect content going forward. There was only one (1) person who could work with the old installer and it was a nightmare to have testing packages let alone a full release.  The Java installer eliminates this issue with the installer being so complex as well as allowing it to run on Mac OS and Linux. Something that has be temperamental at best to get working. Based on the feedback I will see what we can to to ease the install burden.

-eggman121 (NAM team Member)

[BartonThinks 3,416]

11 minutes ago, Eggman121 said:

Good Pickup on the link. Did the link in the post work for you for just the simplified program?

We decided to change the installer to better reflect content going forward. There was only one (1) person who could work with the old installer and it was a nightmare to have testing packages let alone a full release.  The Java installer eliminates this issue with the installer being so complex as well as allowing it to run on Mac OS and Linux. Something that has be temperamental at best to get working. Based on the feedback I will see what we can to to ease the install burden.

-eggman121 (NAM team Member)

I'd already installed the JRE using the Oracle link and had successfully installed the new NAM, so I haven't tried using the the installer that you linked. Is there a distinction between Java and the Java Runtime Environment?

For whatever it's worth -- and I know the installer has been a particular pain and that a lot of work went into this -- I found the actual installer rather counterintuitive as well. For example, there's a folder that's installed by default under RRW that's labeled "0_Rail_Legacy," but there's no explanation of what this folder contains or whether it's needed for a player who doesn't use legacy rail pieces. Similarly, the Real Highway system has a folder marked "a_Legacy_Support" that I was going to leave unchecked, but then the description said that contains mandatory files. I also noticed that if you check the parent folder for "One Way Road Arrow Plugins" it installs all three versions of the plugin.

[Tarkus 6,932]

4 hours ago, BartonThinks said:

I'd already installed the JRE using the Oracle link and had successfully installed the new NAM, so I haven't tried using the the installer that you linked. Is there a distinction between Java and the Java Runtime Environment?

For whatever it's worth -- and I know the installer has been a particular pain and that a lot of work went into this -- I found the actual installer rather counterintuitive as well. For example, there's a folder that's installed by default under RRW that's labeled "0_Rail_Legacy," but there's no explanation of what this folder contains or whether it's needed for a player who doesn't use legacy rail pieces. Similarly, the Real Highway system has a folder marked "a_Legacy_Support" that I was going to leave unchecked, but then the description said that contains mandatory files. I also noticed that if you check the parent folder for "One Way Road Arrow Plugins" it installs all three versions of the plugin.

Java is a programming language, which requires the Java Virtual Machine (VM) to run.  Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is basically what a user who wants to run a Java program would need to install, which includes the VM and everything necessary to run such programs.  There's also the Java Development Kit (JDK), which includes the JRE, plus everything necessary to develop Java programs.

I'll note that we released a "NAM 37 Release Candidate" to the public back in April--the intention of that release candidate was to let users play around with some of the new features, but also give us feedback to help us determine where the weak spots were before we made the official release, since this one contained some pretty drastic changes.  943 users downloaded it.  The only piece of critical feedback we received regarding the installer during that two-month Release Candidate period was from users philosophically opposed to Java, and the only difficulties reported with the installation procedure were from Mac users who were running the App Store version of the Aspyr port.

"Legacy" checkboxes have been around since well before our installer change--in fact, they've been around since NAM 22, over 12 years ago, and there were some in NAM 36.  Generally speaking, if it's a checked-by-default box, you've used previous NAM versions, and are not 100% sure just what you've used previously, it is safest just to install them.  Without them, older content you've built may end up breaking.  Unchecking them should really only be considered if you've never used the NAM (or have no intent of playing any old cities/regions that may have used previous NAM versions), or you're a hardcore NAM power user who intimately understands the structure of the mod.

The One-Way Road Arrow Plugins shouldn't be all able to be installed at once, though they're not entirely mutually exclusive of one another, and the end result of any accident there is harmless.

-Tarkus

[Jasoncw 11,840]

3 hours ago, Tarkus said:

943 users downloaded it.  The only piece of critical feedback we received regarding the installer during that two-month Release Candidate period was from users philosophically opposed to Java, and the only difficulties reported with the installation procedure were from Mac users who were running the App Store version of the Aspyr port.

The difficulty isn't the Java itself, but that the link in the NAM's description makes you register an Oracle account in order to download it. Maybe Eggman's link would be a better one to include in the description, since it doesn't require making an Oracle account? I don't know if there's a difference between the two downloads.

Personally, after following the Oracle link and being prompted to make an account I googled it and downloaded it (at least afaik it was the right download) from cnet instead. The Java installation was painless and the NAM installation went smoothly.

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

I'd rather have to register with Oracle than download from cnet. Just personal opinion, but i've had one too many malware events happen from downloads from there.

*just noticed the link I posted was already listed above, sorry.

  Edited July 4, 2020 by Whte_rbt  
correction

[Tarkus 6,932]

7 hours ago, Jasoncw said:

The difficulty isn't the Java itself, but that the link in the NAM's description makes you register an Oracle account in order to download it. Maybe Eggman's link would be a better one to include in the description, since it doesn't require making an Oracle account? I don't know if there's a difference between the two downloads.

The link that was there was to an earlier JRE--I had linked that as a precaution due to the age of the installer (it was originally designed about 10 years ago!), but if it's playing nice with the latest one Oracle offers without hassle (and they've become really hardcore about hassle with Java recently--I'm surprised they decided to go that route with the older JRE and not just the JDK), then there's no reason not to use eggman121's link.  I've gone ahead and updated all the descriptions (STEX, LEX, and ModDB) to point to it instead.  We'll have to wait until NAM 38 to fix the links in the enclosed documentation (and yes, we're hoping for a much shorter turnaround on NAM 38--this 3-year dev cycle nearly killed us).

[rocker289 75]

To install java headless in linux

sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk

Thats all

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

1 hour ago, rocker289 said:

install openjdk

Isn't the JDK (Java Development Kit) a bit of overkill for non-developers?

[AsimPika3172 1,129]

Thanks for updates! Is time for.... ENJOY!!!! 

[Propfam 2,286]

How about my plan to promote NAM 37? Click the button on the right of the header for original reply.

On 13/6/2020 at 10:01 AM, chfzdn said:

Regarding the Simtropolis channel, how about if we collaborate with top K-Pop artists? I'm not K-Pop guy though but in my country (and in the world in general), K-Pop is unsurprisingly popular. Every K-Pop artist do or talk something, it'll be trending, literally. I know this mayn't a good idea but we should take this advantage to ourselves while keeping our community values. Maybe, we can create few videos with lots of views. I mean, millions to tens of millions views. That's huge engagement and Adsense for us. How about if we launch NAM 37 (or NAM 38) with them? NAM will be getting another media coverage aside from a game magazine (it's Kotaku but the way).

What do you think? Is it realistic?

Thanks.

[pedroac20c 132]

Me di por vencido, no puedo hacer que el NAM 37 funcione, lo instalo siguiendo todos los pasos, y cada vez que entro en una ciudad o intento crear una nueva, la patanlla se oscurece y sale el juego, mi juego es compactible es una versión GOG, completamente actualizada, no tengo problemas de compactación de la tarjeta Ram, he realizado toda la desinstalación del antiguo NAM que tenía y la limpieza de los archivos que podrían crear conflictos, he realizado la instalación 5 veces, No sé qué hacer, tendré que volver a NAM 36.

-Cori edit. Here's a Google Translation:

I gave up, I can't get the NAM 37 to work, I install it by following all the steps, and every time I enter a city or try to create a new one, the patanlla darkens and the game comes out, my game is compactible it's a GOG version, completely updated, I have no ram compaction problems, I have done all the uninstallation of the old NAM that I had and the cleaning of the files that could create conflicts, I have done the installation 5 times, I do not know what to do, I will have have to go back to NAM 36.

  Edited July 5, 2020 by CorinaMarie  
Add Google Translation

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

Been reading into the legal guff from Oracle for Java, and from what I've seen they're happy for someone to include the installer for either the JRE or JDK along with their own software so it could be included in the package for the NAM. If nothing else they probably wouldn't mind us keeping a copy here to go along with the NAM.

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/runtime-141403.html

Anyone with some official weight here want to create a 'Simtropolis' account with them?

[Tarkus 6,932]

4 hours ago, pedroac20c said:

I gave up, I can't get the NAM 37 to work, I install it by following all the steps, and every time I enter a city or try to create a new one, the patanlla darkens and the game comes out, my game is compactible it's a GOG version, completely updated, I have no ram compaction problems, I have done all the uninstallation of the old NAM that I had and the cleaning of the files that could create conflicts, I have done the installation 5 times, I do not know what to do, I will have have to go back to NAM 36.

As I noted in my reply on the SC4D LEX comments, it sounds like you're experiencing what is often called a "crash to desktop", or "CTD".  NAM 37 requires that users have patched their copy of SimCity 4 to be "Large Address Aware", by running the NTCore 4GB Patch, which is included in the download package (4gb_patch.exe).  That patch allows the game to access 4GB RAM instead of just 2GB, and with the expansion to the NAM Controller with this new version, it is required.  This is noted in the documentation (0-read-first-nam37.html) and in the first post on this thread.

To give your game the patch, open up the 4gb_patch.exe file, point it to SimCity 4.exe (it'll be in the Apps folder of the install directory), and you should then be good to go. Typical install directories, for reference: Disc (C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps), GOG (C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps), and Steam (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps).

 

2 hours ago, Whte_rbt said:

Been reading into the legal guff from Oracle for Java, and from what I've seen they're happy for someone to include the installer for either the JRE or JDK along with their own software so it could be included in the package for the NAM. If nothing else they probably wouldn't mind us keeping a copy here to go along with the NAM.

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/runtime-141403.html

Anyone with some official weight here want to create a 'Simtropolis' account with them?

The title on that particular page says "Java SE 6", so it's not up to date.  Apparently, the newest JREs Oracle has distributed date back to Java SE 8 (Java itself is on Version 14 presently), and that page suggests you need to have purchased the proper license as an independent software vendor (ISV) in order to redistribute.  Oracle/Java have since been encouraging a different method for handling things, involving using the "jlink" tool to bundle things in, but that would require recompiling a 10-year-old piece of software with a newer version of Java, and doing it on every single OS it is intended to be run on.  There's also the fact that there are other utilities in the NAM package (the Controller Compiler and the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool) which are also older Java-based apps.  (I'll note . . . NAM 32 through NAM 36 ran the Controller Compiler as part of their installation process, so the Java tie-in with the NAM has actually been around for a long time.)

I did, however, find AdoptOpenJDK, which is tied in with the OpenJDK project that @rocker289 mentioned, and provides newer JREs.  OpenJDK isn't subject to all of Oracle's new licensing hassle (it's under GPL), and it appears they are indeed redistributable.

I've also attached a patch for an issue with the Road x Road Diagonal x Diagonal intersections to the initial post.

-Tarkus

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

Oh well, so much for the official route.

Does/will it work with OpenJDK software currently or will this require more tweaking?

[Tarkus 6,932]

OpenJDK does offer builds back to Java 8--the Java I'm using on my desktop right now is their Java 8 JDK, in fact.

-Tarkus

[Garbanzo 30]

I ran the 4GB patch, and installed te NAM. Everything works pefect. Thank You,

PS. People just download the java and verything will be ok.

See you around,

[Tarkus 6,932]

Just to cover a few recurring support questions that keep popping up:

Where's the installer?  Why is there no .exe?

The NAM 37 installer is no longer an .exe file--we've switched to a Java-based installer, so it is a .jar file.  The actual installer itself is named NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version37.jar.

Why is my game crashing to desktop with NAM 37 in the Plugins folder?

On Windows, NAM 37 requires that the game be patched with a "4GB patch" to be Large Address Aware (LAA), meaning that it can access 4GB RAM instead of a mere 2GB.  Without being patched, the game will crash.  The installation package includes the NTCore 4GB Patch--the patch file is named 4gb_patch.exe.  Open this file, point it to the SimCity 4.exe file in the game's installation directory, and click "Open".  You should then get a window with an "Executable successfully patched!" message.  Click the "OK" button.  Your game is now successfully patched to be Large Address Aware, and you can run NAM 37 without issue.

For reference, these are the default locations of the SimCity 4.exe file in the available and compatible versions of the game:

GOG: C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps

Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps

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

(Origin: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps--note that copies purchased from the Origin Store are not supported, due to being unpatched and unpatchable.  Ask for a refund.  If your copy was obtained by redeeming a CD Key with Origin support, it is patched.  Check the version number on the executable if you remain unsure.  1.1.641 = fully patched, 1.1.610 = unpatched, unpatchable, and incompatible.)

On macOS, the game is now 64-bit, so it has access to 128GB RAM (theoretically more, though this is the limit in macOS 10.9 and later), and is ready to use NAM 37 out of the box.

While all NAM versions over the past 6+ years have incorporated a routine to apply the 4GB patch, do not assume you automatically have already applied it and are ready to use NAM 37 out of the gate.  If you've changed from disc to digital in the time since NAM 36 was released, or have swapped to a different digital edition, the edition you are now using will need patching.

Where can I get the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) without hassle?

Oracle's official link to the latest is https://www.java.com/en/download/ and should not require creating an account with them.  Alternatively, AdoptOpenJDK also offers an open-source JRE 8, which definitely does not require creating an account with Oracle.

Why did you change installers?  What was wrong with the old one?

The installer system used with NAM 36 (and prior) became extremely unreliable.  We regularly encountered tech support cases from NAM 36 users who ended up with installations that inexplicably skipped key files that were necessary for the mod to work--including the NAM Controller itself (which powers every transit network addon in the mod).  Quite simply, it didn't work. 

And with our first internal build of NAM 37 (Alpha Build 01 from March 31, 2019), the brokenness reached a new extreme--those key files were consistently skipped.  The script used to generate the installer had also become extraordinarily complex since NAM 31, taking advantage of many features of our old system that were not even documented by the developer.  The original designer of this advanced script had retired from modding, and the ability to diagnose and fix the script simply did not exist within the team.

Furthermore, our ability to provide a working, easily installable NAM to our Mac userbase was becoming increasingly impossible.  The only way we could provide an adequate installation experience for Mac users was to use a Wineskin layer over the Windows installer, but Apple's frequent massive changes in recent versions of macOS continually broke Wineskin, making NAM installation on a Mac a task only for advanced users.  Going to this new installer meant we could go to a single, unified package that would work on all platforms equally, finally removing the longstanding barriers.

While the new system isn't capable of certain features our old installer had, it is designed to be vastly simpler on a release engineering standpoint, as it does not require scripting, meaning that the assembly of new versions will be much quicker and with a lot less pain.

-Tarkus

[Marcelconstrutor 11]

On 7/5/2020 at 1:38 AM, chfzdn said:

E o meu plano de promover o NAM 37? Clique no botão à direita do cabeçalho para obter a resposta original.

O que você acha? Isso é realista?

Obrigado.

concordo plenamente com a ideia ! pricipalmente pra falar sobre mods e dicas nos jogos vai esclarecer muitas coisas ...

-Cori edit: Here's the Google translation:

I fully agree with the idea! mainly to talk about mods and tips in games will clarify many things ...

  Edited July 6, 2020 by CorinaMarie  
Added Google translation.

[teknojempol 17]

I run SimCity 4 and NAM 37 plugin. But, when loading city tile, it's CTD.

Fyi, i use old laptop with 2gb ram & 1gb plugin (including NAM 37)

So, any solutions ?

[rsc204 21,806]

1 hour ago, can354dra said:

Fyi, i use old laptop with 2gb ram & 1gb plugin (including NAM 37)

If I understand it correctly, the updated RAM requirements come from the expansion in RUL2 code mostly. Therefore if you were to run the Controller Compiler and make a more compact controller (which contains all the RUL code), it should give you some breathing space. This is going to be especially true of anyone not using RHW, since that's where most of this increase comes from. If you are a RHW user, there isn't really much you can do though, that's sort of the cost of having greatly improved stability.

[teknojempol 17]

9 hours ago, rsc204 said:

If I understand it correctly, the updated RAM requirements come from the expansion in RUL2 code mostly. Therefore if you were to run the Controller Compiler and make a more compact controller (which contains all the RUL code), it should give you some breathing space. This is going to be especially true of anyone not using RHW, since that's where most of this increase comes from. If you are a RHW user, there isn't really much you can do though, that's sort of the cost of having greatly improved stability.

Thanks.

I have patched SimCity 4.exe with 4gb patch and problem solved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i'm interested in real expressway feature. can anyone explain ?

[FireSka 20]

Hey team!  Thanks for working so hard on this.  I was able to get it installed and working fine.  One complaint though, the Maxis Legacy Rail being removed... Where is this plugin to revert back to the legacy rail?  The RRW rail looks great, but it cannot seem to be built up large slopes.  I have many cities where I have rail sloping up the mountainside and I cannot seem to redraw these sections of track using the RRW plugin.  Am I missing something and there is a way to do it?  If not, I will need to download the Legacy Rail support.  Please help!

[Eggman121 1,035]

8 minutes ago, FireSka said:

Hey team!  Thanks for working so hard on this.  I was able to get it installed and working fine.  One complaint though, the Maxis Legacy Rail being removed... Where is this plugin to revert back to the legacy rail?  The RRW rail looks great, but it cannot seem to be built up large slopes.  I have many cities where I have rail sloping up the mountainside and I cannot seem to redraw these sections of track using the RRW plugin.  Am I missing something and there is a way to do it?  If not, I will need to download the Legacy Rail support.  Please help!

As my civic duty I will help. Attached is the slope parameters you need to Un Check. for you to use the RRW with another slope Mod. They come under the name of C_RealRailway_Tunnel which in turn is the Tunnel and Slope Parameters.

Delete the current Network Addon Mod folder and uncheck the folder icon with the given name, (C_RealRailway_Tunnel)

Please reply back on any issues that arise to this matter.

As for the Legacy plugin. That still needs to be assembled at this stage.

-eggman121 (NAM Team Member)